Love Is Your Color
by MoonyAngel7
Summary: Roxanne 'Roxie' Jones isn't your everyday CSI. She has her own way of doing things and doesn't always fit in with her crazy hair and quirky style, but she gets the job done. When night shift needs a little extra help Roxie is recruited from day shift to help close some open cases with the supervision of Nick. Roxie isn't his type, but there is something about this wild child.
1. Rainbow Brite

A/N: New story! Overlapping it with Season 10 to start. This story starts after the end of Season 10 Episode 13. The title 'Love Is Your Color' is a song from the Sex and the City Soundtrack performed by Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis. It is the song my husband and I shared our first dance to at our wedding.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 1: Rainbow Brite

Nick sat finishing up in In N Out Shake. It has been an eventful night as the team had just finished solving an accidental case where a golfer accidentally killed himself by breaking a club. He sipped the shake knowing he was going to have to go to the gym as soon as he got off to work it off, but he felt like he deserved it in the moment. There was a knock on his office door. Catherine walked in with two boxes. She sat them down on his desk. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into accepting the position of co-shift supervisor, but it always involved a lot of extra work.

"Really tonight Cath?" he questioned as he observed the boxes.

"Don't worry you will have some help. We still have about 75 unsolved cases that Riley left us with. We need to get through these." Catherine explained.

"And who's helping me?" he asked as he opened the box. "Everyone else is busy finishing up their own work."

"Well days is over-staffed so they sent over some help." Catherine said.

"Help…from day-shift. You've got to be kidding me?" he said shaking his head.

"She's good apparently." Catherine said.

"And she is?" he questioned.

"CSI Jones." Catherine answered. Nick thought for a second trying to find in his mind who jones was.

"Wait Jones… that's the girl they call Rainbow Brite." He then said.

"Present and accounted for." Came a female voice from the doorway. In the door stood a girl who didn't look much like a CSI. She worse bright pink tights with a black flare skirt and a pink long sleeved shirt that matched her tights with a black patchy vest. Then there was her hair. Her wavy hair started normal dark brown, but then it was ombre towards the bottom filled the hues of hot pink and a florescent purple.

"And yes I am aware of one of the nicknames that has been given to me behind my back. Sorry I'm late. There was a line at Starbucks. I'm not used to being up at this hour." The girl said as she entered the office.

"Alright CSI Jones this is CSI Stokes the co-shift supervisor who will be your partner and supervisor for closing these cases up." Catherine then said. Nick stood there dumbfounded that this was the girl they sent over. "I'll leave you to it." Catherine then left the room.

"Alright…umm Jones." Nick said not really sure of what to say to her. She was not the typical CSI.

"Just call me Roxie or Rainbow Brite…whatever." She said as she took a seat in an empty chair and started to pull folders from the boxes.

"Alright Roxie. I guess we can work this one case at a time. Pick one and let's get working." Nick said as he watched her open one of the folders and looked through it.

"Let's see a woman found dead on her apartment complex swimming pool, but no water in her lungs. Death was ruled a homicide, suspects were her boyfriend who lived with her and his baby's mama who was hugely jealous." Roxie said as she looked through the file.

"Alright go pull the evidence." Nick said.

"Will do." Roxie answered as she jumped up. Her colorful hair bounced as she left the room. Nick shook his head. This was going to be interesting. Roxie was definitely not your everyday girl nor CSI.

Roxie stood above the lighted table examining the dress the victim was found in. She looked over Riley's notes as she went along. She liked being outside of her norm and working with different people. She personally didn't care for the people she currently worked with. She tired to ignore all the names they called her behind her back, but there were times where they did get to her. She could only hope that these people on night-shift would be much nicer. She then saw something she hadn't seen in Riley's notes. She took some tweezers and took a piece of foam from the dress.

"Find something?" came a familiar southern voice. Roxie looked up to see Nick walking into the room.

"Yeah some foam looking stuff not found the first time around." Roxie said as she placed the fibers in a small glass collection jar.

"Great get them over to trace." Nick said as she watched her working. She continued to check over the dress. Catherine said she was good and so far it seemed so. She caught something months after the fact already. She then finished with the dress.

"Alright nothing else. Will get this over to trace." Roxie said as she delicately placed the dress back in its evidence bag. She then grabbed the trace she found and walked over to the trace lab.

She walked inside where there was a greying man with his back to her. She stood there for a moment or two before clearing her throat. He then turned to her and at the sight of her he jumped back.

"Ahhh who are you?" he asked at once.

"Hi. I'm CSI Jones. I'm here to help close up some open cases. I'm from days. And you are?" she questioned.

"So you are Rainbow Brite!" he said at once. She frowned at him. He quickly covered his mouth. "Yeah sorry. I'm David Hodges."

"Well David Hodges I have some trace I need analyzed." Roxie said handing him the glass container. "Can you do that for me?"

"Yes I can." He said.

"Thanks." She said before turning on her heels and walking down the hall. She spotted a clock. It was nearly time to go home. She walked back to the room where she had previously been. Nick was standing there going over Riley's original notes.

Roxie approached the table. He looked up at her and gave her a quick smile. Roxie wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about that smile. She felt something inside that she wasn't quite sure about. She ignored the feelings and approached him. She took the folder from his hands her hand brushing against his. Nick felt shivers run down his spine when her hand touched his. He looked at her. He observed her as she looked over the file. He was amazed that she was even allowed to dress the way she did, but no matter how she dressed there was an allure about her. He banished the thoughts, she was too young for him anyway.

"She noted that there had been a heated argument between the vic and the maintenance man a William Henderson. The neighbor had heard it, but didn't know what the argument was about. When Mr. Henderson was interviewed it says the argument was about that he hadn't come to fix an issue with the vic's shower sooner." Roxie said.

"So what is your plan?" Nick asked.

"Re-interview him." Roxie said plainly.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Don't think his answer is good enough." Roxie said. She had a gut feeling about it. Roxie always went with her gut.

"Wait until you get your trace results back and then I will approve if you can go talk to him again." Nick then said. This girl was sure a firecracker.

"Ugh whatever." Roxie said as she sat the folder down. "Well I'm heading home." Roxie said as she turned on her heels and went to leave.

"See you tonight then." Nick said. Roxie turned around and gave him a smile before she left the room.

Roxie went walking up the hall to go get her stuff. She bumped into a large figure and fell back. A hand came down to help her up. She grabbed the hand and stood up. When she went to say thank you she saw a face that made her jump with excitement.

"Oh my god!" she said happily. "Dr. Langston I am a huge fan."

"And you are?" he questioned.

"CSI Roxie Jones. I work days normally, but I'm helping out some nights. I will have to bring in my copy for your book for you to sign for me." She said happily.

"You've read his book?" questioned a voice. Roxie turned to see Nick.

"Of course. Haven't you?" Roxie questioned looking at Nick.

"Haven't gotten around to it." Nick then said. "So Ray I see you've met Roxie."

"Yes I have and I will be glad to sign your book." Ray said giving Roxie a kind smile.

"Thanks so much." Roxie said as she beamed. "Well I am heading home. See you all tonight."

Roxie walked into her quiet apartment. She opened the curtains to let in the light from the newly rising sun. She yawned as she walked into her bedroom. It has been a long time. She hasn't ever worked a night in her life and now she was flipping her schedule upside down. She changed into a clean pair of pajamas and put her colorful hair into a ponytail before walking into the living room and sitting on the couch. She was amazed how many people know her as Rainbow Brite. She kind of thought it was a fun nickname and she did love the cartoon. People thought she was strange and she was in her own way. She just only wished that people would get to know the real her before they judged her by the color of her hair and the way she dressed. She turned on the TV and started watching the morning news, but it wasn't long before the morning news was watching her.

Roxie walked into the lab feeling a bit more confidant. This was her second night working nights and she was determined to get somewhere on the case she had opened up. As soon as she dropped off her things in her locker and was making her way towards Nick's office she was approached my Hodges who had a large smile on his face.

"I've got results for you." He said proudly.

"And…?" she questioned waiting for said results.

"Foam." He answered.

"I knew it was foam." She then said rolling her eyes.

"It is Polyisocyanurate a foam used for insulation." Hodges then answered.

"Thank you are fucking awesome!" Roxie then said happily before quickly walking away.

Roxie sat at a computer clicking around. She then printed what she had been looking at. She looked through the papers she printed as she walked down to Nick's office. He wasn't there. She frowned and then walked up the hall hoping to find him. She then saw him coming from a room. She approached him.

"Hey I've got somewhere on the case." Roxie said happily.

"Well it will have to wait. I'm busy with that electrocution case." Nick said.

"Oh yeah that country band. I bet you are loving that." Roxie said.

"Why does everyone assume I like country music just because I am from Texas?" Nick questioned.

"So that is where you are from." Roxie said. "I knew it was somewhere in the south.

"Yes so as you can see I'm busy." Nick said.

"Well the foam I found is used for insulation and I pulled the maintenance records for the apartment complex. The maintenance man was working on insulation the day that the vic was killed. I think this is a reason to question him." Roxie said.

"Alright Roxie we can go talk to him in the morning." Nick said giving her a smile. "Good job on this."

"Thanks." Roxie answered. Nick then gave her a wave and walked away. Roxie sure was persistent. With her attitude they would be through these cases in no time. He looked back to see Roxie walking the opposite way up the hall with her pink and purple hair bouncing behind her. He smiled as he watched her.

Roxie was excited to be out of the lab for once. She rode in the SUV with Nick. They pulled up to a small house that was the home of Ramon Lopez the maintenance man. They both approached the house. Roxie knocked on the front door.

"LVPD." Roxie announced. They stood waiting patiently when they saw someone look out the front window. Then there was the sound of crashing.

"He made us." Nick said. Both of them took out their guns. Suddenly Roxie took her foot and kicked the door in. Nick was taken aback for a moment. He didn't expect that from her at all in that moment and truthfully it was pretty attractive. He quickly shook the thoughts away and followed Roxie into the house with his gun drawn. He heard the sounds of a struggle.

"Stay down!" he heard Roxie shout. Nick ran into a back room where he found Roxie sitting on top of a Hispanic man. She cuffed his hands before getting off him and pulling him to his feet.

"Ramon Lopez?" Nick questioned.

"Yes." Ramon answered.

"You're coming with us." Roxie said as she pushed Ramon forward. Nick laughed as he watched Roxie lead Ramon from the room. She was no joke and could obviously kick ass. He pulled out his radio.

"This is Charlie 0-5 Stokes we need a car at 5989 Hillbough Drive to pick up a suspect." He said into the radio. As started out of the bedroom something caught the corner of his eye. There was a photo in a frame. He realized that the people in the photo were Ramon and the vic Jennifer York. He then walked outside where Roxie was standing next to Ramon on the curb. "There is a photo in his room. It is a photo of Ramon here and our vic."

"Really?" Roxie questioned as she looked down at Ramon. "Why do you have a photo with Jennifer York. You were only the maintenance man?"

"I loved Jenny." Ramon then said.

"And what happened the day she died?" Roxie asked.

"We got in a fight. We was going to leave her boyfriend, but then she changed her mind. We got in a fight. I pushed her, She fell and hit her head. I couldn't revive her. It was early so nobody was out. Her apartment was by the pool. I dragged her out to the pool hoping someone would think she drowned. I regret it everyday." Ramon explained as he broke down into tears.

Roxie was so excited as she shut the evidence box shut. She had solved one of the cases, only 74 were left. She walked the box down to the evidence room and put it away. Walking down the hall she made her way back to Nick's office. He was sitting at his desk. She stopped at the door and knocked. He looked her way. He gave her a smile.

"I'm out." She announced.

"I'm heading out also. Great work today." Nick said. He then watched her turn to leave. "Roxie wait!" he called out. Roxie turned back to him.

"Yeah." She answered.

"Would you like to grab some food?" he asked.

"Umm yeah sure…why not?" Roxie said. Nick felt something inside when she accepted. He wasn't quite sure what it was about her, but he liked the moments he got to spend working with her.

The two of them sat in a diner. Roxie sipped on a cup of coffee. She looked up from the menu as she decided what she was having. She looked up to see Nick looking at her. He couldn't help, but watch her. She was beautiful under all the colors. She gave him a smile.

"Someone is starring." She said.

"Oh…sorry." He mumbled.

"So you are from Texas…where?" Roxie questioned.

"From Austin." He answered. "Where are you from?"

"Isn't it obvious…" Roxie said. "Born and raised in Vegas baby." Roxie then said proudly.

"So you grew up this crazy?" he asked.

"Pretty much. My mom was always cool with me being who I wanted to be." Roxie answered.

"And your dad?" Nick asked.

"No dad around. Just my mom and I." Roxie said.

"You're an only child also?" he asked.

"Yep. One and only. How about you… parents…siblings?" Roxie asked.

"Well both parents. Mom is a lawyer and dad a Judge. And I've got 6 siblings." He said.

"Holy cow 6!" Roxie said amazed that one woman could give birth to 7 children. She was absolutely amazed at that fact.

"What does your mom do?" Nick then asked. He was curious about her and her life. She was so out of the box, but seemed so down to earth.

"She was a cop actually. She had to go on medical retirement last year. She's my best friend." Roxie said happily. Nick loved the way she beamed when she spoke about her mother.

"You aren't so bad. From what I've heard you are strange, but there is nothing strange about you besides your hair and the way you dress." Nick then said.

"Nobody has taken time to get to know me…you're the first." Roxie said truthfully. She gave him a smile. He was sweet and she liked that he didn't judge her by her outside. He was truthfully a nice guy. Suddenly Nick's phone rang.

"Stokes… yeah…alright…ok…On my way." He then hung up the phone and gave a sad look to Roxie. "Sorry, but I will have to cut our meal short. Will you take a raincheck?"

"Yes definitely." Roxie answered. He gave her a smile and dropped some money on the table. He then left her alone in the booth. She caught herself smiling to herself. Could she actually like him?

Nick got in his SUV and looked back at the restaurant. He could see Roxie sitting in the booth. He couldn't wait until that evening when he would see her again at work. He found himself looking forward to work because of her. She was nowhere near his type, but she had the best personality he'd known. What was it about her?


	2. Everyone Has A Little Fantasy

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 2: Everyone has a little fantasy

A month went by so quickly, but so were the cases. Roxie had been on top of things and had helped solve nearly 20 cases in a month. Most of them were pretty simple robberies and home invasions, but there were a couple murders in there. Roxie opened up yet another evidence box and burst into laughter. This was going to be a fun case. She put on her gloves and started to unload the box. She laughed along the way.

Nick walked down the hall hearing an infectious laugh that he knew belonged to Roxie. Hearing her laugh made him smile to himself. She brought new life to the shift. He then found her unloading an evidence box.

"What's so funny Rainbow?" he asked as he entered the room and leaned against the doorframe.

"Hey Country Boy!" Roxie said happily as she saw him. After a month she couldn't deny that she had a huge schoolgirl crush on him. They had fallen into a nice rhythm together as they worked together. They even had their own nicknames for one another. Normally Roxie wasn't keen on anyone calling her Rainbow Brite, but Nick got a pass. He normally just called her Rainbow. While Roxie settled on calling him Country Boy, Nick didn't mind at all. In fact he found it sweet. "This case is going to be fun. So the body of a male was found dead in the upstairs of a mansion that was being rented out for a fetish sex party. Most of the evidence in this box is all sex stuff."

"Not another fetish case." Nick said as he shook his head. He had just come from a hotel where he was working a case that had to do with women's panties. "I'm already working one."

"Well now you get another one." Rainbow said as she tossed him a clear evidence bag that held a large dildo.

"Seriously!" he yelled as he quickly threw it back to the table. Roxie burst into laughter.

"What's going on in here?" asked a voice. Roxie looked up and Nick turned to see Ray walk into the room.

"Country Boy here is a little shy when it comes to sex fetishes." Roxie said.

"I can see that, but he does have one of his own." Ray said.

"Ray…no." Nick then said. He was instantly mortified.

"Well our friend here has a thing for cheerleaders or as he call them…his weakness." Ray said as she let out a laugh.

"Really?" questioned Roxie. She was now intrigued.

"Yeah the case we are working on. There is this lingerie show and the point is to tell underwear that the model have worn." Ray started. Roxie cringed. "Well there are models everywhere dressed up as everything from a school teacher to a cheerleader. You should have seen this guy when he laid eyes on the cheerleader. He turned to butter."

"Alright that's enough of that." Nick then said. "Yes I may have a cheerleader thing, but other than that when it comes to sex I'm old fashioned. You don't need any fancy toys and what not. Just two people who connect in a special and romantic way getting to know one another in a more intimate way."

Roxie smiled to herself. She liked the way he talked about it. It made her stomach fill with butterflies. His eyes connected with hers for a moment. It was silent. Ray then cleared his throat. Roxie jumped.

"Well everyone has a little fantasy in there somewhere." Roxie said. "I may liked to be spanked, but you'll never know that." She said as she pulled out a whip from the box. She then burst into laughter once again.

"Well I came over to tell my friend that we got some DNA results." Ray said as he patted Nick on the shoulder.

"Right well let's go." Nick then said. He turned to leave, but then turned back to Roxie who was already going over case notes. "I'll leave you with this one yourself. Just holler if you need any help."

"Ok." Roxie said looking up from her notes. Nick gave her a smile before leaving the room. He shook his head. He knew he shouldn't feel the way he did about her, but he couldn't help it. She was truthfully a really nice girl who was very misunderstood by everyone.

Roxie watched him leave. She couldn't help, but think about what he say about sex. She liked his thinking and she couldn't help, but like him. Of everyone she'd met in this place he was the only one who took time to actually get to know her and actually seemed to want to get to know her. He didn't judge her by her appearance. He was truthfully sweet and she loved that about him, it also didn't hurt that he was very attractive with being tall and nicely built. She found herself blushing as she stood there thinking about him. She quickly tried to clear her mind. She had work to do.

It has been a long shift, but things had worked out and Nick had solved his case. He walked out of the building and into the parking garage towards his car. He spotted a familiar sight. Roxie was also walking to her car. He spotted her little blue VW Bug parked right next to his truck. He let out a whistle and Roxie turned in his direction. She gave him a smile. He loved the way she smiled. She stopped in her tracks and he caught up to her.

"Get anywhere on the case?" he asked.

"I think so. I hear you solved your panty sniffer case." Roxie said.

"Yep." He said proudly. "So what are your plans today?"

"I've got a standing date with my mom at Dessert Palm." Roxie then said looking away from him for a moment.

"Dessert Palm?" Nick then questioned wondering why she was meeting her mom at the hospital.

"Remember I told you my mom retired medically?" Roxie then questioned. Nick simply nodded in response. "She has ovarian cancer and it is pretty aggressive. Today is a chemo day. I hang out with her while she is getting her chemo done. Just something I do every week with her."

"I'm sorry." Was all Nick managed to see. It was very obvious that you really couldn't judge a book by its cover. Roxie seemed so joyful and full of life, but you would never know that she was dealing with what she was dealing with. She didn't let it bring her down and didn't bring it into the lab with her at all.

"It's fine." Roxie answered. "Really. We deal with it. It's just the two of us and we've always survived before. We can do it now." Nick smiled at her. He loved how positive she was about the whole thing. He didn't think he could be that positive if his mom was dealing with something similar.

"I hope you guys have as good of a time as you can have." He said to her. Roxie smiled in response. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Nope I'm off tonight." Roxie said. "I've got a date."

"A date?" Nick then felt his heart sink. Roxie watched his smile slowly disappear from his face.

"Yep me, some take-out, my couch, and a crappy movie." Roxie then said giving him a smile.

"Sounds like my kind of night." Nick then said. "Well I better let you go."

"Yeah I'll see you soon." Roxie said giving him a wave and walking towards her car. She got inside her car and shook her head. She couldn't believe what she thought she saw. She felt like he might have something in there for her. She knew she couldn't think like that. She couldn't be his type at all. She then heard a knock on her passenger side window. She turned to see Nick. He gave her a wave before getting in the SUV parked next to her car. She gave him a wave before he drove off.

Roxie went home and took a shower before making her way to the hospital. She personally hated going there, but she knew that she was all her mom had. As she stepped out of the elevator onto the floor she needed to be on she was over taken by that distinct hospital smell. She tried her best to ignore the smell as she walked down the hall. She passed the nurse's station and gave them a wave before entering a small hospital room. There was a skinny black woman in the bed she looked exhausted and fragile. As Roxie walked closer the woman turned her head towards Roxie and gave her a weak smile.

"There is my Roxie-Girl." The woman said.

"Hey mom." Roxie said as she sat her purse down and sat in the empty chair next to the bed.

Roxie looked at her mother. She felt like her mother looked worse every time she saw her. She was a shell of the woman she used to be. Sophia Jones was once a bountiful woman full of energy and enthusiasm, but with every passing second that woman was fading. It broke Roxie's heart to see her mother going the way she was, but there was nothing she could do about it, but pray.

"How's work?" Sophia asked her daughter.

"It's good. Really good. I'm solving cases left and right." Roxie said proudly.

"What happens when you solve all of them?" Sophia then asked.

"I guess I go back to day-shift." Roxie said sadly. She enjoyed Night-Shift so much more and she enjoyed spending time around Nick. She smiled to herself as she thought of him.

"What's with that smile?" Sophia asked.

"Nothing mom." Roxie said quickly.

"There is a guy isn't there?" Sophia asked. Roxie cursed under her breath. Her mom knew her too well.

"Yes there is. I like him a lot, but I doubt he feels the same. I'm for sure not his type." Roxie said.

"Tell me about him." Sophia said.

"He is southern, very charming, has a great personality and smile. Plus he is the only person in that whole lab who has actually taken time to talk to me and get to know me." Roxie explained. She felt her heart beating fast just thinking about him.

"Maybe he does like you." Sophia proclaimed.

"I doubt it, but at least he is nice to look at." Roxie said with a laugh.

"Eye candy is never a bad thing." Sophia said smiling at her daughter. "By the way I am loving the pink and purple." She said referring to Roxie's hair.

"Thanks. I'm thinking of changing it in a couple weeks. Haven't decided on a color yet." Roxie said. She loved that her mom supported her no matter how quirky she could be.

Roxie sat on her couch with a take-out box of Kung Pao Chicken and chopsticks. She was kicked back as she watched some lame movie she found on TV. It was nice to be able to relax at night like she used to. Working nights had really thrown her off, but tonight she was having a date with herself. She watched the sappy romance movie. Watching the way the character interacted with one another reminded her of how she was with Nick on a daily basis. They flirted with one another constantly, but it seemed no one was going to cross that line. Truthfully no one really could cross that line for the time being he was her boss and they worked closely together. There was no way they could even get near crossing that line.

Nick sat at his desk going over some paperwork. He came across one of the cases that Roxie had closed. He smiled to himself. She was really something. She didn't seem to care what anyone thought of her and she was a hard worker. Nobody could have started getting cases closed that fast. She had already closed 20 or so cases. It was creeping up on him that one day she would be finished and going back to day-shift. He truthfully didn't want her leaving anytime soon. She had become a sort of escape for him. Thinking about her made him happy, but he knew he could never go there with her. It hurt to think that she could be something special for him, but he knew he could never go there without some serious consequences. He then heard a knock on the doorframe. He turned to see Roxie standing there.

"I thought you were off tonight?" he asked.

"Well Country Boy I hate to admit it, but I missed you." She said giving him a sweet smile. "And I couldn't sleep because I am so used to working at night. So I figured I would come and get some work done."

"Well work away." He said smiling at her. He couldn't believe that he was just thinking about her and there she was. It was like it was very unreal. Was this some sort of sign? He dismissed the thought as he watched her leave the office.

It felt good to Roxie to get some work done. She hated sitting at home not being able to sleep and just starring off at the TV. She felt being productive was what was best for her. She re-processed some evidence. Going through the vics wallet she found a business card. It was for a sex party consultant. She had never heard of a sex party consultant and wanted to find out more. She went to her computer and put in the information on the card. A website came up for a man named Vance Whistle who threw sex parties. She was surprised to see that there was one the next night.

Roxie walked up the hall to Nick's office with a paper in hand. She dropped it on his desk. He looked at the paper and then looked up at her. He shook his head. Roxie just stood there nodding.

"You aren't going." He said at once.

"It is the only way to question some of these people and look at the address. Same mansion that the vic was found at. This is his crew. We need to get in there." Roxie said at once.

"Alright, but I'm going with you." Nick said.

"Well then I guess I need to figure out what to wear to a sex party." Roxie said and the picked up the flyer she printed from Nick's desk.

The next night she sat in the car with him as they pulled up to the mansion. You could hear the music booming from the place. Roxie was a bit nervous because she hadn't done too much undercover work before, but she was excited. It was a chance to really be in the middle of the action. Nick looked at Roxie as he parked the car. She seemed nervous, but she looked beautiful. She wore a short red strapless dress with black strappy heels. Her colorful hair was down on her shoulders. She turned to him.

"Ready?" Roxie questioned as she turned to him.

"Umm…yeah." He then said before he got out of the car. He walked around to Roxie's side. He looked her up and down. "Where were you able to put your gun with such little clothing?"

"That's my little secret." Roxie said giving him a wink. She then giggled as she saw the look on his face. "It's in my purse." She said holding up her little clutch handbag. She looked at him. He looked very handsome all dressed up. He wore a crimson red button up shirt with a black blazer and black slacks. Roxie had to admit she loved a nicely put together man.

"Alright we are heading up to the party." Nick said into his wrist.

"Copy that." Roxie heard in her ear. Nick gave her a nod. He took her by the hand and shivers ran down Roxie's spine. She looked up at him. He gave her a simple smile as they started to walk. Neither of them said a word as they approached the house.

They walked inside of the house. The music was booming. They both took it all in. A man then approached them. She had recognized this man from the website. It was Vance Whistle. Roxie checked him out.

"Hello friends and welcome." Vance said with a smile.

"Thanks." Roxie said. "We're first-timers…what's there to get into?" she questioned trying to sound as interested as possible.

"My dear anything you desire. Just have fun there are condoms over at that table." He said.

"Can I have a little fun with you?" Roxie asked as she took Vance's tie into her hands. She felt Nick grab her by the waist. She ignored him and continued to try and flirt with face. "You can show me the ropes."

"Only if your date is fine with it." Vance said as he licked his lips. His eyes never leaving Roxie. Roxie wanted to run away in that moment. This was seriously creepy.

"He likes to watch." Roxie said looking up towards Nick. She was pretty sure he wanted to vomit in that moment.

"Well let's go." Vance said as he took Roxie by the hand. Roxie followed along. She looked at Nick who followed looking concerned. Nick wasn't like this at all. He had no idea what Roxie's strategy was. He placed his hand to make sure his weapon was secured, but ready. They walked into an empty and dark bedroom.

Roxie then took Nick by the hand and led him over to a chair. She then straddled above him on the chair. She placed a soft kiss on his lips. She loved the feeling of her lips on his. Nick truthfully didn't want her to stop kissing him. He was trying to stay focused on the job, but it was getting difficult. She made it very difficult. She then placed a trail of kisses from his lips towards his ear.

"Alright I'm going to draw him in and then lay it on him." Roxie whispered in Nick's ear. He simply nodded. She then placed another kiss on his lips before she pulled herself off of him and made her way to Vance who was on the bed. She then straddled Vance.

"You're a feisty one." Vance said as he ran his hands up her sides. Roxie quickly grabbed his hands away and pinned his hands to the bed. "Very feisty." He let out a growl.

"I am." Roxie said as she then reached in her purse and pulled out her badge. "LVPD." She said with a sweet smile.

"Fuck!" Vance then said.

"We just have some questions for you." Nick said as she made his way over to the bed. Roxie got off of Vance.

"So this man…Wilson Deeds." she pulled out a photo of the vic. "Was here at a party about 10 months ago. He was found dead upstairs. Apparently you advocate for safe sex, but female vaginal secretions were found on his penis. Obviously he wasn't safe. Do you know who he could have had sex with that night?"

"Wilson Deeds always went with Yvette Reynolds, but Yvette wasn't at the party that night." Vance said. "There is another girl. I rarely see her, but she was there that night and all over Wilson. I don't know if they hooked up, but it is safe to say they did."

"Does this girl have a name?" Nick asked.

"Cynthia. Cynthia Trout I believe." Vance said. He was looking very afraid.

"Is Cynthia here tonight?" Roxie asked.

"Yes I saw her not long before you arrived." Vance said.

"Can you get her for us?" Roxie asked sweetly.

"But don't be suspicious about it." Nick then said.

"Yes. I'll get her." Vance said quickly before he hurried away.

"He was easy to break." Roxie said as she sat down on the bed.

"Why'd you kiss me?" Nick then asked.

"I was staying in character." Roxie lied. She'd wanted to kiss him for a very long time and this was the perfect opportunity. "Why do you ask? Did you like it?"

Nick just looked at her. He didn't want to answer the question. He couldn't say no because that would be he was lying to her, but answering yes opened up a whole other can of worms. He looked at her face as she watched for an answer. He tried to come up with an answer, but when he went to open his mouth the door opened. There was Vance with a young blonde.

"As I told you Cynthia this couple saw you and they want a little Menage a Tois action with you." Vance said lying through his teeth. Roxie appreciated it.

"Mmm…" Cynthia then said as she checked out both Roxie and Nick. "Sounds fun."

"I'll leave you do it." Vance said before exiting the room.

"So your name is Cynthia." Roxie said as she walked over to Cynthia. She took Cynthia by the hand and led her over to the bed. "So Cynthia. I want a little something from you."

"Anything." Cynthia said as she ran a hand over Roxie's cheek.

"Your DNA." Roxie said as she pulled out her badge to show Cynthia.

"LVPD." Nick said.

"What is this about?" Cynthia asked.

"The death of Wilson Deeds." Nick said.

"I…I….I had nothing to do with that." Cynthia proclaimed.

"Then your DNA will prove us wrong." Roxie said smiling as she pulled out a swab from her purse.

"I'm not giving it to you." Cynthia then proclaimed.

"Then you are coming with us." Roxie said.

Roxie exited the interrogation room feeling pretty boss. They had gotten a confession out of Cynthia and her DNA matched what was found on the vic. Roxie was very pleased that this was another closed case, but at the same time her heart hurt a bit. Another closed case meant closer to her going back to her normal position. She touched her lips thinking of the kiss she gave Nick earlier in the evening. It had felt so good. She wondered what his answer might have been to her question of they hadn't have been interrupted.

"Hey Rainbow!" she heard a voice call out. She couldn't help, but smile to herself knowing it was Nick's voice. He jogged up to her. "Excellent work. You are great at this."

"I try." Roxie said as she looked at him.

"You heading back over to the lab?" he asked her.

"Yeah just to get my stuff and head home." She said.

"I'll walk with you." Nick said. The two of them walked in silence. When they made it outside the air hit both of them. It was a nice warm night, but windy. Roxie's hair blew around in the window. She then stopped in her tracks and turned to Nick.

"Will you go on a date with me?" she asked quickly. She stood there with her heart beating fast. She couldn't believe she had done it.

"Umm…" Nick started not sure of how to answer. He hadn't expected it to be her to ask. He gave her a smile. He figured why not. If there were going to be consequences then bring them. He wanted to see where this went. "Sure. What do you have in mind?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Roxie then said laughing. "I hadn't thought the entire thing out. I figured you would say no then I didn't need to have a date planned in the first place."

"How about I plan it?" Nick then asked. He knew exactly where he wanted to take her.

"Umm sure." Roxie said giving him a smile.

"Do you work Thursday night?" Nick asked.

"Nope I'm off." Roxie said.

"Then Thursday. I can pick you up." He said.

"It's a date then." Roxie said beaming. She was instantly excited.

"It's a date." Nick said.


	3. Dangerous Dates

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 3: Dangerous Dates

It was Wednesday evening. Roxie looked at herself in the mirror. There were still 24 hours before her date with Nick, but she had to work tonight and that meant seeing him. She wore her hair in a ponytail tonight. She wore a bright purple and black-stripped top with plain black jeans. Tonight she was going to dress a little somber. She took a deep breath before walking away from the mirror and leaving her room.

Nick put his phone down. He had just reserved something special for the next night with Roxie. He smiled to himself. He hadn't expected Roxie to ask him, but he liked that she did. There was a knock at the door. Catherine walked in giving him a wave.

"Just wanted to see how things were with Roxanne and all." Catherine said as she leaned against an empty chair.

"Things are working out great. She is going through cases like crazy." Nick said thinking of Roxie. He couldn't help, but smile.

"What's that smile?" Catherine asked.

"Nothing…it's nothing." Nick said.

"You like her?" Catherine asked as she now sat in the empty chair.

"Maybe." He answered.

"I will admit I didn't see that coming, but she seems like a nice girl. A little on the young side for you, but nice." Catherine said.

"She's sweet and that girl can kick some ass. I've seen her do it." Nick said laughing thinking of feisty short little Roxie.

"Well with a name like Roxie. You've got to be tough." Catherine said laughing. "So are you going to make a move?"

"Roxie already did. She actually asked me out." Nick said.

"She asked you? Girl doesn't play around. I like that." Catherine said.

"Yeah, but I'm planning the date. It's tomorrow. I just made reservations at Jasmine the waterfront restaurant at The Bellagio and tickets for the Cirque show." Nick said smiling.

"You take a girl on a great date." Catherine said as she stood. "Let me know how it goes." She said giving him a smile before leaving the office.

Roxie walked into the lab and walked through the halls. She spotted Catherine leaving Nick's office. She knew he must have been in there. She made her way into his office. He looked up from his desk and gave her a smile. Roxie sat down in the chair that Catherine had just occupied.

"So I guess we're checking out another case." Roxie said happily as she reached into the box and pulled out a folder. Before opening the folder she looked up towards Nick and gave him a smile. "So what do I need to wear tomorrow night?"

"Umm I guess… Dress to impress." He said. Roxie nodded and took note.

Roxie then opened the folder and started to read the case notes. "This is an easy one." Roxie said as she closed the folder.

"Well get to it." Nick said. Roxie stood and smiled before leaving the office.

Roxie was so nervous. She was actually shaking. She sat on her couch fiddling with her newly dyed hair when the doorbell rang. She quickly stood. She didn't want to seem too eager and answer the door too quickly so she took her time getting to the door. She opened it to find Nick standing there. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt and dark purple tie. She gave him a smile. He looked great.

"Hey Country Boy." Roxie said trying to not sound nervous.

"Rainbow. You ready?" Nick asked her. He looked her up and down. She looked amazing. She wore a lace detailed black fit and flare dress with a pair of black pumps. He then noted the change in her hair color. The pink and purple ombre at the bottom of her hair was gone and had been replaced with a bright red. "Your hair looks great."

"I'm ready and thanks. Decided it was time for a change." Roxie said happily as she touched her newly dyed hair.

Nick led her out to his truck and opened the door for her. Roxie smiled to herself at his politeness. They were off. Nick drove down the strip and stole a look at Roxie whose face was lit from all the lights. He liked watching her smile. Roxie turned towards him and caught him looking at her. She simply stuck her tongue at him. He laughed as she did so. They then pulled up to the Valet at The Bellagio Hotel and Casino.

"Oh fancy." Roxie said as Nick opened her door and took her hand. She got out of the truck.

Nick laced his fingers with hers as they walked. Roxie's heart was beating quickly as they walked hand in hand. They walked into the restaurant together. Nick held her hand as they walked to the podium.

"I have a reservation for 2 under Stokes." Nick said. He turned to Roxie and smiled. Roxie couldn't believe he was taking her to such a fancy restaurant.

"Yep I have you right here. Right this way Mr. Stokes." The hostess said. The two of them followed her to a table right by the window over looking the fountains. Nick pulled out a chair for Roxie. She sat and smiled up at him. He then took his own sat. The waitress handed them both a menu. "Your server will be by shortly." She said before walking away.

Roxie looked at her menu. Everything was so expensive and she was worried about what Nick was willing to spend or night. She bit her lip nervously because everything cost so much. She then lowered her menu where she saw Nick starring right at her.

"You are starring again." She said.

"Sorry. You just look very beautiful tonight." He said in response. Roxie tried not to blush.

"Thanks." She said sweetly. "I'm not sure what to order." She admitted.

"Me either. It all looks so good." He said.

"That too, but it's all so expensive." Roxie then said looking at him.

"That's no problem. Order whatever you want. I've got it." He said as he took her mahogany hand into his. He stroked her hand with his thumb. Roxie smiled in his direction. He was everything she could want and more. He was sweet, charming, strong, and handsome.

Dinner seemed to go quickly, but the food was amazing. As the waiter collected their final plates Roxie glanced outside at the fountains performing their show. She'd grown up watching them all the time. When she was younger and not having a good day her mom would always bring her down to watch the fountains. As she sat a single tear found it's way down her cheek. She then felt a finger wiping her tear away. She looked to see Nick looking at her concerned.

"It's fine. The fountains just make me think of my mom." Roxie then said. "She would bring me down to watch the show when I was feeling down."

"From everything you've told me about her so far she sounds amazing." Nick said as he sighed the credit card receipt.

"She is." Roxie said with a smile. Nick then stood and walked over to Roxie's side of the table. He put his hand out for her to take. She simply smiled and took his hand. He led her from the restaurant. Nick wanted to walk with her a bit before the show. They walked outside into the warm air hand in hand. They stood on a walkway above the Bellagio lake. He pulled her close to him. He thought back to that night they were undercover when she kissed him. He had been eagerly waiting the feel of her lips again since that night. Roxie smiled at him as he held her close. He took a hand and cupped her soft cheek in his hand.

"Can I kiss you?" Nick asked.

"Of course." Roxie breathed impatiently awaiting his lips.

He then came forward and softly pressed his lips to hers. Neither of them could explain the feeling that came over their bodies. It just felt merely amazing to be together in that moment. Roxie slipped her arms around the neck as their kiss deepened. Without warning gunshots rang out. Both of them dropped to the ground. Nick pulled himself over Roxie to protect her. Both of them were unarmed. Roxie did her best to see what she could. She could hear screaming from all around her and the sound of people running. She then heard the sound of tires squealing off. The gunfire stopped at that instant that she heard the tires. Nick then pulled himself off of her and pulled her up.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he cupped her face with his hands.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Roxie said as she looked around. "What the fuck was that?"

"I don't know." Nick then said. They both looked around Roxie could see some people on the ground. She rushed over to the first person she saw. A young woman who had a gunshot to the abdomen. Roxie took her hands and pressed them against the woman's wound.

"Hello my name is Roxanne. I'm a CSI and I'm going to stay here with you until help arrives ok." Roxie said to the woman who was in hysterics. "Just calm down I've got you." Roxie then looked to see Nick caring for another victim. Nick looked over at Roxie. He couldn't believe what had just happened. That prefer moment had been shattered.

Roxie stood with her hands covered in blood. She stood alone still on the walkway where they had been. She saw Nick talking with Detective Brass. The woman whom she had stayed with died right before the paramedics had arrived. Her lifeless body still lied there. Roxie just looked down at the ground and at her bloody hands. Greg then walked up to Roxie.

"Hey umm. Glad you're ok." He said giving her a kind smile. During her time in the lab she had gotten to know everyone including Greg who shared the office with Nick.

"Yeah that was umm…special." Roxie said still replaying everything in her mind. She was trying to find one detail about that moment that she could remember to help, but nothing seemed to help.

"Alright Roxie you and Nick are allowed to go, but I hear Ecklie wants to talk to both of you at the lab." Catherine said as she approached. Roxie rolled her eyes. She looked over to Nick. His white shirt was covered in blood. Luckily the guy he was helping had survived and was expected to survive his injuries.

Nick walked to Roxie and handed her a towel for her hands. She simply smiled and took it cleaning the blood off her hands as best she could. She could feel everyone's eyes on them as they stood there. It was pretty obvious that they had been there together and now everyone knew it. When finished with the towel Greg took it for her. Nick then laced his fingers with hers not afraid of what anyone would think. The two of them made it down to the Valet to get his truck.

At the lab both of them changed into extra pairs of clothes that they had in their lockers. Roxie then walked down to Ecklie's office where the two of them were expected. She knew that it was going to have to do more with their relationship than the situation that just happened. When she walked inside she saw that Nick was already there. She took the seat next to him. He gave her a small smile. She couldn't help, but smile back.

"Alright…Firstly I am glad the two of you are ok." Ecklie started. "But we have some issues. The issue being that the two of you have been working closely together and the two of you seem to be involved."

"That's right." Nick answered plainly. He took Roxie's hand into his. He in that moment didn't care what Ecklie or anyone else thought. He enjoyed spending time with Roxie and was going to continue no matter what anyone else said.

"So how long as this been going on?" Ecklie asked.

"Umm about 5 hours now." Roxie said as she looked at her watch.

"5 hours?" Ecklie answered. "Come on really how long have the two of you been having an intimate relationship?"

"Well tonight was our first date. It started 5 hours ago. Now for intimate I am guessing you are assuming that we are sleeping together." Roxie started. She was now fired up. "This being our first date we haven't gotten towards intimate, but hey you might be a sex on the first day kind of guy. I'm guessing you are Conrad." Nick was trying his best to not laugh. Roxie had a tongue on her and she knew how to use it.

"Enough Ms. Jones." Ecklie then said.

"I think what Roxanne is trying to say here is that this is a fairly new relationship. We haven't discussed where we go from here. There wasn't enough of a relationship established to be reported at this point. Of course it is being reported now and we promise to keep things professional around the lab." Nick said saving Roxie's behind from some serious consequences with her smart mouth.

"The problem we have here Mr. Stokes is for the time being you are Ms. Jones' supervisor and the two of you are working together. I know you aren't normally on the same shift, but for now you are. I'm going to let this slide, but if anything comes up and the two of you put a toe over the line and things become less professional I will have to take action." Ecklie explained.

"Sounds fine." Nick said looking at Roxie.

"Ms. Jones?" Ecklie questioned. "Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Roxie said with a smirk on her face.

"Alright the two of you may go. Go home and get some rest." Ecklie then said. Both Nick and Roxie quickly stood and made their way from the office.

"I can't believe you said that to him." Nick said to Roxie as they walked into his office.

"Well he asked a question… I answered." Roxie said simply giving him a smile.

"I guess I'm driving you home." Nick said.

"You did pick me up." Roxie answered as she picked up her purse that she'd left in his office when they got there.

"Let's go." Nick said as he took her by the hand. Heads turned as the two of them walked hand in hand. Roxie smiled to herself.

They sat in the car in front of her apartment. Roxie didn't want the night to end. Even though their date was ruined there was still time to salvage it. She turned to him. He looked at her and held her hand tightly in his. Nick looked into her cinnamon colored eyes. He couldn't explain the pure and simple connection he had with her. He leaned forward and cupped her cheek bringing her into a kiss. Roxie smiled against his lips. She loved kissing him. He was so gentle with every kiss he gave her. Roxie then pulled away and looked at him.

"Do you want to come up?" she asked looking into his eyes. She could only hope he would say yes.

"Yeah." Nick answered. The two of them got out the truck.

They walked together to her apartment. She unlocked the door and they walked inside together. Once inside Roxie closed the door and turned to him. They both nearly ran at one another. Nick pulled her into a strong passionate kiss; his tongue entering her mouth. Roxie pulled him towards the couch. They fell on it together in a passionate entanglement of kisses. Nick wanted all of her right there, but he wasn't going to cross that line just yet, not on their first date. He wanted to savor this romance with her before they went further.


	4. Her Rock

Love is Your Color

Chapter 4: Her Rock

Roxie was all smiles as she walked onto the Cancer Ward of Dessert Palm hospital. She couldn't wait to tell her mom about her date. Even though part of the day didn't go as planned with a random shooting the rest of the night had been perfect. They made-out on the couch for a while and then Nick just held her until the two of them fell asleep. In the morning Roxie couldn't believe that she was waking up in his arms. He'd been the perfect date and they had planned they would go out again and hope someone doesn't decide to throw some bullets into their goodtime.

Roxie made it down to her mom's room where her mom was lying in bed like always. The TV was on. It was one of those terrible judge shows that came on in the middle of the afternoon. Sophia turned to see her daughter entering the room. She gave her a weak smile.

"Roxie-Girl." Sophia said weakly.

"Hey mom." Roxie said as she sat down a plant she bought on the windowsill.

"Someone looks happy." Sophia commented noting Roxie's smile.

"Well mom I went on a date with that guy I told you about. It was pretty perfect except for when we finally kissed gunfire came out of nowhere. Our date turned into a crime scene. I guess it is good we are both CSIs." Roxie explained as she took a seat in the chair next to her mom's bed.

"Sounds delightful." Her mom said with a weak laugh before going into a coughing fit. Roxie quickly grabbed the cup of water on the table next to her mom's bed and handed it to her. Sophia sipped the water and then looked at her daughter. "I have some news."

"What is it?" Roxie asked eagerly.

"I talked with my doctor this morning. We aren't going to do anymore chemo. She said at this point there is nothing she can do." Sophia said to Roxie who looked dumbfounded. Tears quickly began to pour from Roxie's eyes. She always knew this was a possibility she always knew that the cancer could take her mom, but in this moment it became real. "Don't cry Rox. It is what's best. I don't have anymore fight in me."

"But you….you…you have to fight." Roxie cried out as she took her mom's hand. Suddenly all of the happiness she had before was leaving her body. She rapidly felt helpless.

"No more fighting Roxie." Sophia said as she looked at her beautiful daughter.

"I don't know what to do without you." Roxie said through her tears.

"You will survive. You have this guy. He seems nice. He seems like he can be a rock for you. You light up when you talk about him. I feel that something will come from this. He is your destiny." Sophia said. Roxie didn't know what to say in that moment. She placed her head on her mom's bed and just tried. Sophia rubbed her daughter's head.

Nick was excited to see Roxie. He'd left her place this morning after their eventful night. He knew she would have a tough day spending the afternoon with her mom while she had chemo. He sat at his desk checking his email awaiting Roxie's arrival. He couldn't believe how that single date changed everything. She went from the cute, quirky girl whom he worked with to his girlfriend who he couldn't get enough of. She was far different than anyone would think she was. He didn't expect her apartment to be so tame nor did he expect her entire CD rack to be filled with classical music. You really couldn't judge a book by its cover. He caught himself smiling as he thought about her.

"So the word is out." Greg said as he entered the office and sat at his own desk.

"Word…what word?" Nick asked looking up from his computer at Greg.

"About you and Rainbow Brite. Everyone knows that you two are seeing each other." Greg said.

"And?" Nick questioned playing it very cool.

"Just nobody expected that…she is so…. different." Greg commented.

"And what's wrong with different?" Nick asked starring straight at Greg who was starting to feel uncomfortable and shifting in his seat.

"Nothing…nothing is wrong with different. Just nobody expected someone like her to be your type." Greg said.

"She isn't normally, but unlike everyone else I got to know her. She is actually pretty awesome." Nick said. He then looked to see Roxie walking down the hall. He grinned seeing his beautiful girlfriend as she made her way to his office.

"Hey guys." Roxie said as she entered the office. She wasn't feeling so enthusiastic about work tonight. The news with her mom had hit her hard. She just wanted to not think about it. She wanted to escape.

"Hey." Greg said.

"Hey Rainbow." Nick said looking at her. He could tell instantly that something was wrong. She didn't light up like she normally did. She was very somber. Even the way she was dressed gave her away. She looked practically normal tonight in plain black pants and a dark purple top. Her brown and ombre red hair was pulled back into a bun.

"Hey Country Boy." She said with a weak smile as she reached into the box next to Nick's desk and pulled out a new case.

"Umm Greg can we have the room?" Nick asked. Greg simply nodded and left the office closing the door behind him. Nick walked around the desk to her. She lifted her chin up with his finger. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Roxie said dismissing his question. She wasn't quite ready to say it out loud. She wasn't ready to admit to herself that in a matter of months her mom was going to die. She was going to lose her best friend.

"Is it your mom?" Nick then asked. She simply nodded as tears started to pour from her eyes. He pulled her in tight just holding her, letting her cry.

Roxie just stood there and let him hold her. Her heart had been broken at her mom's news. Her life would forever change the day her mom was gone. The only family she had left would be gone. She wasn't sure how she was going to face that, but then she thought about what her mom had said about Nick and how it was destiny that she had him now. Could that be really true? She then moved away from Nick and wiped her eyes.

"Will you be ok?" he asked.

"Yeah…yeah… I'll be fine." Roxie said with a weak smile. She then quickly placed her lips on his. It felt good to kiss him in that moment, to feel that single connection between them. Roxie then broke the kiss and looked at him. "I'm not ready to talk about it just yet."

"It's fine." Nick said as he placed his hands on her waist. "I'm here when you are ready."

"Thanks." Roxie said with a smile. She then grabbed the folder that she and picked out of the box. "I'm ready for some work."

"Well let's work." Nick said.

Nick was actually available to work with Roxie most of the night on the case until right after sunrise when he was called out. Roxie yawned as she at alone at his desk reading over the case notes. She looked at the clock. She was hoping she would see more of him, but it was time for her to head out. As she walked out she took a look at the TV that was on in the break room. A couple had been killed in their home along with their dog and the daughter missing. She figured that is where Nick had gone. She shook her head at the story, but she knew that was the reality they lived in. She went out to her car and drove home. Her apartment was silent until she turned on the TV. She likes the background noise of the TV on all the time no matter what she was doing. It made her feel less alone. She went in her room and changed into some pajama pants and a tank top.

Waking up in the late afternoon she pulled herself from bed and walked into the living room where the TV was still on. She sat down and watched the news that was on. She was happy to learn that they had found the daughter of the couple, but it turns out it was their neighbor who killed them and the police were looking for him. She went to the fridge and grabbed a box of take-out. She opened it and smelled it. It seemed to smell decent still. She popped it in the microwave and waited for it to finish eating. While she waited she walked back into the living room. There was then a knock at her door. She walked to the door and opened it to see Nick. She smiled at him.

Nick walked into Roxie's apartment. He was exhausted. He has been working a case all day long and just needed a minute. He figured if he were going to stop anywhere it would be to see his beautiful girlfriend. He instantly pulled her to him and kissed her.

"Hey you." Roxie whispered against his lips. She closed the door behind him as he made his way more into her apartment. She then heard the sound of the microwave.

"How's your day being going?" Nick asked as Roxie walked towards the kitchen. Roxie pulled her lunch from the microwave and walked out with two forks. Nick sat on the couch and Roxie sat next to him. Nick looked at the news.

"Ok. I pretty much slept." Roxie said as she handed Nick a fork. "It's Mandarin Chicken."

"Lucky you." He said as he stuck a fork into her take-out container and pulled out a piece of chicken.

Roxie then put her fork in and got a piece of chicken. She put it in her mouth and chewed it. "Were you working that case?" she said motioning to the TV.

"Yeah." Nick answered taking more chicken.

"Turns out it was Dr. Jekyll. He somehow inserted some radioactive materials into the neighbor's brain. He was going crazy and killed the family. They are tracking him down now." Nick explained as he ate more of her chicken.

"Seriously dude you are going to eat all my lunch." Roxie said as she looked and saw nearly half the chicken was already gone.

"My bad." Nick said giving her a smile. She couldn't help, but melt with his smile.

"So I saw the daughter was found." Roxie said.

"Yeah Ray and I found her. She was hiding in her bedroom. Poor thing was so afraid." Nick said thinking back to the little girl that morning as she held onto him and cried knowing that her parents were dead.

"I'm glad she's safe." Roxie said as she leaned her head on Nick's shoulder. He put his arm around her and ran his fingers through her wavy hair.

"By the way I love the red in your hair." Nick mentioned.

"Thanks. It was a nice change." Roxie said.

"You know I have a thing for redheads. Yours isn't quite redhead red, but I like the color." He said. Roxie looked up at him and smiled. She loved how open he was. He made her feel comfortable. He bent his head down and kissed her quickly. "I've got to get back to work. Heading over to the hospital to meet Ray and Brass."

"I figured." Roxie said with a sigh. She loved having him there with her in that single moment, but she knew he had work to do.

"I'll see you later?" Nick asked.

"For sure." Roxie said. Nick stood and looked down at Roxie as she at there in her pajamas. She was beautiful no matter what. The beauty in her soul seemed to radiate from her. He loved that about her. She was herself no matter what and everything about her was beautiful even down to her soul.

Roxie made her way to the morgue. She had opened a new case and learned that the body was still there unclaimed. She figured she could get her own chance to check it out. She walked into the morgue to find Doc Robbins and Greg standing over a body on the table. They both looked at Roxie as she grabbed a coat and put it on.

"Hey I'm looking for a body." Roxie said.

"I'll be with you in just a moment." Doc Robbins said.

"Is this the guy who had the radioactive stuff in his brain?" Roxie asked instantly intrigued.

"Yep it is." Greg answered.

"Fucking awesome!" Roxie said as she approached the table.

"I don't think I've ever had anyone refer to a body in my morgue as _fucking awesome_." Doc Robbins said with a laugh.

"Doc meet Roxie Jones. She is from Days, but helping out closing a few night-shift cases." Greg said.

"Nice to meet you Roxie." Doc Robbins said.

"Nice to meet you too." Roxie said happily.

"I don't know if the gossip has spread down here yet, but Roxie here and Nick are an item." Greg announced.

"Well well then… young lady. Treat our Mr. Stokes right." Doc Robbins said to her.

"I promise. I will." Roxie said with a sweet smile.

Nick was finishing up in his office and ready to head home. He looked up and out of the office to see Roxie making it towards his office. She was just who he wanted to see. As she approached the office she had a smile on her face. He knew she was very happy about something. She walked in the office and sat down on this empty chair in front of his desk.

"Someone is happy." He mentioned.

"A bit." She said happily. "I think I just broke the case. Turns out the fingerprints on the DB were never run. Well I ran them and I got a hit. Her name is Claire Thomas from Henderson. Brass is going to notify her family that her body had been found. Hoping to get more answers later today."

"Good job Rainbow." Nick said as he turned off his computer screen and stood up from his chair. He walked around the desk towards Roxie.

"Thanks Country Boy." She said. "Where are you headed?"

"I'm headed home. I am exhausted." He said with a yawn.

"Yeah I should head out too." She looked at him. "Hey I heard about Ray. Will he be ok?"

"Yeah the doctor said he has a concussion. He will be out for a little bit, but he should be fine." Nick said. They were then silent for a moment.

She stood from her chair and was now face to face with him. He quickly pulled her in by the waist and placed a kiss on her lips. Roxie heightened the kiss. Suddenly there was the sound of a clearing throat. Both of them turned to see Greg standing in the doorway.

"Ok we are going to have some office sharing rules. No making out in the office please." Greg said looking at the embraced couple.

"Sorry." Roxie said.

"We'll try." Nick then said before letting go of Roxie. He took her by the hand. "Later man."

"Later." Greg said as the two of them left the office hand in hand. They headed to the locker room.

Roxie went in her locker to grab her purse. She looked at the photo of she and her mom that hung in there. Suddenly sadness fell over her body. She simply sat down on the bench. It had hit her harder than it ever hit her. She was really going to lose her mom. Nick looked at her. He was instantly concerned seeing the way she just sat there. He sat down next to her and took her hand into his.

"Rox…what's wrong?" he asked.

"It really hit me." Roxie said as she looked at him. "My mom… the chemo isn't working… and uhhh… she is just waiting to die at this point." Roxie then burst into tears. She had been keeping it to herself since her mom told her. Her heart hurt just to talk about it. Nick wrapped his arms around her. He knew that she had gone through all of this virtually alone and now she was at the end, her breaking point. He knew that she really just needed someone to talk to and someone to be by her side. He knew that he wanted to be by her side. He was going to be her rock for as long as she needed him to be.


	5. I'll Do My Best

A/N: This chapter overlaps with the season finale of Season 10. I have seriously watched this finale 3 times today as I did my best to overlap this chapter with it.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 5: I'll Do My Best

The weeks seem to pass too quickly for Roxie. It seemed every week her mother was getting closer and closer to death. She was starting to dread her visits. It was really working on Roxie and Nick didn't like seeing her that way. Whenever she would have a visit he knew that Roxie was going to be emotionally drained. Today was one of those days. He and Roxie both had the night off and he wanted to plan something special for her. He'd invited Roxie over to his place.

Roxie checked herself out in the rearview mirror of her car. Her eyes were a tad puffy from crying after her visit with her mom. Today was particularly hard on Roxie. Her mom was having a harder and harder time with normal functions and it was hard on Roxie to watch her mom decline the way she did. Roxie got out of her car and walked up to Nick's house. Her pink skirt flew in the wind as she walked. She'd been a couple times at this point. She walked through his front gate and to the front door. She knocked on the door and it quickly opened. Nick gave her a grin as he pulled her into the house. He closed the door behind him and pulled her close for a kiss.

"How was it today?" he asked her.

"Hard." She answered as she looked around. Today the lights were all dim and there were candles lit. She smiled to herself. She loved that he seemed to try so hard to make her forget about her pain after visits with her mom.

"Like it?" he questioned as he pulled her to the couch.

"Yes. You didn't need to do this for me….Country Boy." Roxie said as she sat on the couch and saw the wine sitting on the coffee table.

"Of course I did... my Rainbow." He said as he pulled her onto his nap. Roxie giggled and looked down at his face. He placed a kiss on her lips. He ran his fingers through her wavy hair. The red in her hair had now been replaced with a shocking green. Personally he hated it on her, but if it made her happy he didn't mind.

"I want you to come with me next time." Roxie then said seriously. "I want you to meet my mom….before it's too late."

"Just let me know. I'm there. You know I'm here." He said truthfully. Roxie couldn't help, but smile. She didn't know what she deserved to have such a great guy in her life. She was really starting to believe her mother's destiny theory. Though she wasn't going to tell Nick about it. He might think she was crazy.

"What's for dinner?" Roxie asked.

"I ordered some Chinese. I know it's your favorite." Nick said as he held onto her.

"You know correctly and I'm starving." Roxie said. Nick let her go and she stood. She walked into the kitchen. She spotted the take-out containers right away. She pulled out a container and she saw the receipt. "And you ordered from Szechuan Kitchen. My favorite."

"Of course." He said as he came into the kitchen also. He pulled out a couple of plates from the cabinet.

"Thanks so much." Roxie said sweetly. Nick loved that he could make her smile with just the simple gesture of ordering Chinese food from her favorite place. She wasn't high maintenance like some girls. Roxie was a pretty easy girl to please.

The two of them sat on the couch after finishing dinner. Roxie was very full of her favorite foods from her favorite place. Nick held her as they lied on the couch watching TV. It was a good quiet night. Roxie smiled to herself before looking up at Nick who smiled down at her. He bent his head down and placed a kiss on her lips. Roxie then broke the kiss, but only for a second so she could turn to face him. She then plated her lips to his. Roxie knew what she felt for him inside. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She broke away and looked at him in his eyes. She was afraid to say it first.

"I love you." Nick then said. He hadn't expected to blurt it out, but he knew he was in love with her. From that first day he met her he knew there was something special inside of her. He could feel it radiating off of her whenever they were together. It had only become apparent to him recently that what he felt was love. He was in love with her.

"I…I love you too." Roxie said giving him a big smile. She quickly kissed him. She knew from that moment she wanted to do something she hadn't done with him… she wanted to connect with him in the most intimate way. Nick looked her in the eyes. He could feel his desire for her growing stronger and he knew she felt the same way.

They just starred at one another for a second. It was like they were having an entire conversation without saying a word. Roxie simply nodded. A nod was all it took. Nick picked Roxie up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom. He lied her down on the bed. Roxie watched as he took off his t-shirt and lessened his belt before coming down to the bed with Roxie. Nick looked her in the eyes before pulling her back into a strong kiss. Roxie wrapped her arms around his neck. That kiss had suddenly changed everything because it wasn't like any other kiss they had shared before. Roxie realized she was holding her breath. She suddenly pulled away and took a breath. Nick looked down at her. He started to pull her skirt down. Roxie wiggled to make the process easier for him. Roxie took off her own shirt and lied there in her bra and panties. Nick took it all in. Roxie was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on and in this moment she was giving herself to him.

His fingers slid up her legs and to the elastic of her panties. He slipped his fingers under the elastic to remove them. Roxie couldn't help, but smile. She felt like she had waited for this moment for so long. She took her hands and pulled off his jeans along with his underwear. He once again kissed her reaching around to the hooks of her bra. She could feel him fighting with them. Suddenly release, he has won in the fight against the hooks. He slowly pulled her bra off. He looked down at her and ran a finger down her face. Everything about this single moment for the both of them was soft and romantic. Nick loved the way she looked in the dim light. Every curve of her body was absolutely perfect to him. He placed kisses down her neck over her chest to her stomach. He slowly kissed down her right leg and up her left leg. He wanted her to know that he didn't just enjoy her body, but he appreciated it. His lips then returned to hers. He felt Roxie spread her legs under him. He knew that she was waiting for that moment.

Roxie let out a gasp and a groan as he entered her. She then instantly closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. She held onto him as he moved slowly and passionately. Her mind went back to the conversation they had in the lab about how he preferred sex. This single moment was how he had described it, romantic and intimate. Roxie let out a moan as she gripped onto his skin. With each slow and deliberate movement Roxie was brought closer to the brink. She wanted to know what he was thinking in those moments. Roxie just thought about how she didn't want it to end. The connection they had forged in those moments was unbreakable.

"Nick…oh…" Roxie breathed in his ear. Nick smiled at hearing her say his name in that way. He couldn't think of enjoying being this way with anyone else. It was perfect the way it was. They were connected in a way that he had never been connected with another woman. Every sound she made enticed him more. He wanted and craved more of her. He needed her. He was complete with her and with her only. He could feel her body starting to shake and go slightly rigid. He knew she was there and he was coming up soon. He lifted his head and placed his lips on hers.

"Oh please." Roxie groaned. She took one hand and clenched the bed sheets while the other hand held on tight to him. "Yes!" she screamed out. At once her entire body stiffened and then relaxed into a puddle on the bed. Nick then lied next to her he pulled her close to his body. Roxie cuddled in closer. He placed a single kiss on her forehead.

The rising sun was shinning through the blinds. Both of them awoke to the sound of Nick's cell phone ringing. Roxie groaned and stretched as Nick blindly reached onto his bedside table to find his phone. Roxie lied there watching him as he spoke on the phone. It seemed pretty urgent. He jumped out of bed without a single word.

"What's up." She asked as she watched him quickly grab a clean pair of underwear from his drawer and put them on followed by his jeans that had been discarded on the floor.

"Apparently Nate Haskell has been in contact with Ray about Dr. Jekyll and he is being brought Vegas." He said as he grabbed a blue button up shirt from his drawer and put it on.

"Seriously?" Roxie questioned as she sat up covering her nakedness with the sheet. "They are bring the Dick and Jane Killer to Vegas?"

"It seems so. I've got to get to the lab." Nick said at once.

"I'm coming too!" Roxie said as she jumped out of bed and found all of her discarded clothes on the floor. She put on her underwear as quickly as she could. She nearly fell stepping into her panties.

"No way babe." Nick said at once. "Just stay here."

"Umm I'm not missing this. I know I'm not on the case and all, but I've got to be there." She said as she threw her shirt over her head and slipped into her skirt.

"Alright." He said in defeat. Roxie sure had a way with him. He just couldn't say no to her and he was pretty sure she knew it.

When the two of them arrived at the lab it seemed everyone was on edge. Nick made Roxie go to his office. Roxie sat in his office looking over one of the cases she was working on. Suddenly she saw Nick, Sara, and Greg walking together up the hall. Roxie put her folder down and stepped out of the office. Nick looked at her and made his way to her.

"What's up?" Roxie then asked.

"We got something. Heading to get all the evidence in Haskell's case." Nick said.

"I'm helping!" Roxie proclaimed at once. Nick shook is head and allowed her to tag along. Roxie went along with the three of them to the evidence storage to get all the boxes. Roxie carried a box behind everyone. When they made it back she sat her box down and started to get her gloves on.

"You can't help more." Nick said looking at her.

"But…" Roxie started feeling like a 5 year old who was being banished by the big kids.

"I'm sorry Rox, but you can't." Nick then said with sympathy on his face. He could tell how eager Roxie was to get in and help. He loved her tenacity, but right now he knew he couldn't get her involved.

"Alright then." Roxie said taking off her gloves and tossing them in the trash. She left the room and went back to his office to work on her case.

Roxie felt like she had been working forever and was getting hungry. She stood up and stretched. She hadn't seen Nick or anyone else since she helped get the evidence boxes. She slowly walked down the hall to the break room hoping no one had eaten the Chinese food she stored in the fridge a few days ago. As she walked she then spotted Nick walking in her direction. She gave him a small wave. He smiled at her as he approached her.

"Did you find anything?" Roxie asked.

"We did actually. Bow tie pasta with a spaghetti bow tie around it." Nick explained. Roxie just looked completely confused. "Now we are trying to figure out the exact restaurant since Haskell isn't being too helpful with that."

"Well I'm trying to get some food. I'm starving." Roxie said.

"Me too." Nick said.

"Well if nobody ate my food that I stored in the fridge you can share with me." Roxie said as she took him by the hand.

They walked into the empty break room together. It was obvious the break room was being used for the case. There were files all over the table. Roxie opened up the fridge and smiled when she saw her take-out boxes still there. She pulled them out and put them in the microwave. She leaned against the counter and watched Nick as he looked at the files on the table. She only wished he would let her help out a little bit. Nick then looked up to see Roxie watching him. He gave her a smile and walked towards her. He put his arms around her and kissed her gently.

"So you will never guess who else is hooking up?" Nick said.

"Who?" Roxie asked.

"Catherine and Vartann." Nick said.

"I can see that. They look cute together." Roxie said.

"Yeah." Nick said at the microwave started to beep. Roxie turned around and pulled the hot food from the microwave. She handed Nick a plastic fork.

The two of them sat down to eat, but only for a moment. Nick's phone beeped. He groaned as he looked at the phone. He took another bite of food before setting the take-out container on the table. Roxie watched him as he stood. She frowned knowing he had to get back to work.

"Well at least I managed a few bites." Nick said.

"Alright I'll see you later I guess." Roxie said. Nick simply nodded before leaving her alone.

Roxie sat alone eating her food. She closed her eyes for a moment. She only wished to be back in the night before. She thought of the way he touched her body and how everything was so romantic and personal. She sighed thinking about it. She remembered the single moment that he said I love you. Her heart skipped the same way it did in that moment. She smiled to herself as she sat there alone. He'd been amazing and she loved every second she was able to spend with him.

The clock seemed to click by slowly as Roxie continued to work on her cases. She sat at Nick's computer doing some searches for something that pertained to her case. She looked up to see Nick coming into the office. He looked simply exhausted. She frowned upon seeing him. He needed to rest.

Nick smiled at Roxie as he came into his office. The team had been working hard to solve the Jekyll case with a slew of difficult hints from Haskell. Now they were to find some random Italian restaurant where somehow all of the victims that seemed to have nothing in common had all eaten at. He tossed some folders on his desk.

"I could use your help now." Nick said to Roxie who them beamed excitedly. Roxie had been trying to be help on this case since the morning, but Nick kept shutting her out. She understood why, but she really wanted to help.

"Alright with what?" Roxie questioned.

"We need to go through Nate Haskell's financials. Trying to find anything to point us to a particular Italian restaurant." Nick said as he handed Roxie a file.

"Alright I'll get to work." She said sweetly to Nick. She was glad that she was being allowed in the loop.

An hour passed and Roxie was coming up with absolutely nothing. She sighed as she figured it was time to give up. She looked at Nick who also seemed to be hitting a dead end. Roxie yawned. She was getting tired. Nick looked up at her. He just looked at her for a moment. She was beautiful even when overworked and exhausted. He knew that he had to love her to see her beautiful in this way.

"I've got nothing here." Roxie then said.

"Same here." Nick said as he stood and walked over to her hair. He walked behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He rubbed her shoulders. Roxie closed her eyes and leaned back. It felt perfect in that moment. "You should go home… maybe rest a little."

"I think you're right." Roxie said as she stood from her chair. Nick pulled her close and kissed her lips. "Don't work too hard."

"I'll try not to." Nick said before giving her another kiss. "Wait you rode in with me. Let me give you my car." Nick pulled his car keys from his desk drawer and handed them to Roxie.

"See you later then." Roxie said hoping she would see him soon.

"Definitely." Nick responded.

Roxie went home. She instantly fell onto her couch and fell right asleep no problem. It has been a long day and it was nice to finally be home. She slept for a few hours before waking up on her couch. She looked at the clock and it was early evening. She checked her cell phone hoping to have something from Nick, but that wasn't the case. Roxie dragged herself into the shower and instantly she started to feel revived. Getting out of the shower she dressed in a pair of black jeans and a black and white stripped top. She knew for sure that Nick most likely hadn't eaten since the little bit he ate with her in the break room. Roxie grabbed her jacket and Nick's keys and headed off.

Pulling up to the lab with hot food for Nick she saw him walking outside with Ray. Roxie quickly got out of the car and jogged up to the two of them. Nick looked surprised to see her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well I rested and realized you probably haven't eaten. I got you some food, but it looks like you are headed out." Roxie said. Nick smiled at his girlfriend. She really thought of everything.

"Thanks, but we got a lead and we're heading out. It seems Jekyll is working at a high end Italian restaurant. We've got a few we are going to check out." Nick explained.

"I'll come." Roxie said.

"Babe that isn't a good idea." Nick then said.

"I won't get in the way. I promise." Roxie said looking sweetly at Nick in the eyes. He sighed. This girl had him wrapped around her fingers and he loved every second of it. Nick simply nodded.

"Well let's get going." Ray then said.

Roxie sat in the back seat as they made their way to the first restaurant. They pulled up to a restaurant called Marchello's along with a patrol car. Roxie went to get out of the car with Nick and Ray. Nick quickly stepped in her way.

"Please stay in the car babe." Nick said. Roxie went to open her mouth in protest. "I let you come along, but you need to stay in the car. You aren't armed." Roxie simply nodded and got back into the backseat of the car.

That restaurant was obviously a bust when the men came back to the car. They then arrived at another place called Nona's Kitchen. It was also a bust and they went on to the next and last place. Tratoria DiMasa.

"Alright Rox…" Nick started.

"Stay in the car… I know Country Boy." Roxie said giving him a sweet smile. Nick smiled back at her. He really hoped this was the last stop of the night. He really just wanted to cuddle in bed with Roxie at this point. It has been a very long shift and he was tired.

Roxie sat alone in the car as she had been instructed. She sat humming when she heard what sounded like a gunshot. She quickly jumped from the car and ran into the restaurant. She could hear shouting. The voice she heard belongs to Nick. He was yelling to Officer Clark who had been accompanying them. She was fully in the restaurant and could see Ray with an older man who seemed to be in distress. She made her way over to them on the floor. Suddenly she saw a man appear with a shotgun. He and Nick began to fire at one another. It was the slowest split second of her life seeing Nick fall to the ground. Roxie wanted to run to his aid, but she knew it was dangerous. Her heart was beating quickly and she was struggling to get air. She sat on the floor behind a table. She peered around the table and looked at Nick on the ground with blood pooling around his body. She could only hope he wasn't dead.

There was a conversation happening between Ray and the man with the gun that she could only assume was Jekyll. She really wasn't focusing on what they were saying. She just wanted Nick to be ok. She was trying to formulate a plan in her mind, but nothing seemed safe. She knew that she would only get hurt in the process. She then saw Nick slightly move his head and his hand slowly inched to his gun. Nick knew their only chance was for him to be able to shoot this guy. He knew if he could communicate with Ray then they would be able to finish it. He tried his best to remain as still as possible as his hand inched to his gun. He heard a whimper come from behind a table. His eyes shot to see Roxie watching him. He wanted to let her know that everything was going to be ok. He could see the fear in Roxie's eyes. He only hoped that he could guarantee her safety. Even if he was to die he needed Roxie to live. He loved her too much to see anything happen to her.

Ray then went to stand and the man with the gun came out from his hiding spot. Roxie sat and watched trying to stay as quiet as possible. Suddenly Nick had his gun in his head and shot at Jekyll. Roxie gasped as Nick fell back to the ground. Roxie then rushed from where she was and over to Nick. He looked up at her and gave her a weak smile. Roxie placed his head in her lap.

"Hey I've got you." Roxie said as she put her hands over his wounds and applied pressure. Tears were falling from her eyes, but she smiled down at him. Nick groaned in pain and Roxie continued to keep pressure on his wounds, he had already lost quite a bit of blood.

"Rainbow." He whispered up at her. Roxie looked down in his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too Country Boy." She said with a sweet smiled down at him. "An ambulance is on the way." He simply nodded.

Roxie sat in the hospital waiting room. It had been a long night already, but she was happy. Nick was going to be ok and that is all she could want. Sadly though Officer Clark had died on the scene. Roxie looked around and she saw Catherine, Greg, and Sara enter. They all spotted her and walked over.

"How is he?" Catherine asked.

"He's good. The doctor said they would have him stitched up in no time and he could even go home tonight." Roxie said happily.

"That's great news." Sara said.

"What on earth were you doing there?" Catherine asked.

"I tagged along. I was sitting in the car when I heard the first shots and I ran in." Roxie explained.

"Thank God you're ok." Catherine said.

"I was going to walk over and visit someone. I think I have a little time to do that." Roxie said as she thought of her mom. She figured if she was here she would see if her mom was awake.

"Your mom right?" Greg asked. Roxie looked at him shocked.

"Yeah Nick told us. We hope she is doing alright." Sara said with a kind smile. Roxie nodded. She could understand why Nick considered them family because they really were a family.

"Thanks. I'll be back soon." Roxie said giving them all a wave before she made her way towards the Cancer Ward.

She'd spent over an hour with her mom who mostly just lied there and listened to the story of Roxie's night. Roxie figured by this time Nick would be patched up and ready. She made her way over to where she had been told he was. There he was sitting in the bed in a hospital gown. He smiled at her as she approached. Nick was glad to see her face. Roxie sat down on the edge of his bed and bent down to kiss him.

"Feeling alright?" she asked.

"Feeling alright." He answered. "So you went to see your mom?"

"Yeah. She said to tell you that she is glad you are ok." Roxie said happily. "You want to know something funny?"

"I could use some funny." Nick said.

"Well I don't know if it is funny, but… my mom said something a few weeks ago about you being my destiny… I thought she was crazy, but I'm starting to think she's right." Roxie said as she looked down at him. A huge smile spread across Nick's face. He took his good arm and held her hand.

"I think she might be right." He said to her. Roxie smiled and quickly kissed him. "Now I'm starving."

"Me too." Roxie said.

"I've got a plan." Nick said as he did his best to reach for his cell phone. Roxie quickly grabbed it and handed it to him. He dialed a number. "Hey Hodges. I need you guys to come bring me a pizza. I'm starving down here. Hurry up or I will surely kick your ass." He then hung up. Roxie burst into laughter.

"You are ridiculous." She said.

"I do my best." He answered. Roxie then lied down on his bed with him. She faced him and just simply smiled.

"I'm so glad you're ok." She said.

"Yeah." Nick answered as he thought of Officer Clark who sadly had to lose his life there in that restaurant.

"Don't scare me like that again." Roxie demanded.

"I'll do my best." Nick said in response. "I'll definitely do my best."


	6. Regrets

A/N: This chapter starts at the premiere of Season 11.

Reviews always welcome.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 6: Regrets

Roxie finished her make-up in the bathroom mirror. It has been a difficult few days since everything that happened. On top of Nick having been shot then Ray had been stabbed by Nate Haskell. Nick hadn't been back to work and neither had Roxie who spent her time making him comfortable. She was exhausted though. She'd spent most of the last two nights awake as Nick was having some pretty intense nightmares. Roxie walked into the bedroom yawning in the same black lace dress she'd worn on her first date with Nick. It was her only nice black dress. Her hair was pulled into a bun where most of the green hair was tucked away and not showing. She found him sitting on the bed in his pants and shirt, his tie and jacket lie on the bed next to him. He looked very somber. Roxie could understand, they were getting ready to head to the funeral of Officer Clark. Roxie walked to the bed and sat next to him.

"Feeling okay?" she asked placing a hand on his leg. He placed his hand on top her hers and just rubbed her hand in silence. They both sat there in silence.

"I feel like it is my fault." Nick said finally speaking. Roxie turned to him, but didn't say anything. For the last couple days Nick had been beating himself up over Officer Clark's death. He replayed it over and over in his mind. He should have never sent him back. Things could have been different. An innocent man shouldn't have had to die. "I should have never…" he couldn't finish his sentence. He was now choking back tears.

"Shh…no…it's not your fault." Roxie said as she wrapped her arms around him. She knew that there was nothing he could have changed. "There is no use in having regrets now."

"I know…" Nick said. "I just feel terrible."

"I understand." She whispered. He turned his head to face her. She placed a small gentle kiss on his lips. He gave her a weak smile. He knew that he couldn't get through any of this without Roxie. She seemed to never have left his side in the past couple days.

"We better get ready to go then." Nick said looking at the time.

"Let me fix your tie. It can't be easy for you since you can't use your arm much." Roxie said as she grabbed his tie from the bed. They both stood and Roxie put his tie around his neck and started the complicated process of tying a man's tie. When she finished she made sure the knot was tight. Nick used his good arm and pulled her close to him.

"You know I wouldn't be able to get through this without you." He said looking into Roxie's eyes.

"You could have. You're strong. I don't mind being here for you. It's all because I love you." Roxie said giving him a smile.

"I love you too more than you know." Nick said before pressing his lips to hers. Roxie felt her stomach do flips. He made her feel so special. She'd never had anyone take the time to make her feel that way.

"Let's get your jacket on." Roxie said as she picked up his jacket from the bed. She put it on is good arm first before turning to the bad arm and helping his arm inside. He groaned as she moved his arm. "Almost on." Roxie said reassuring him. She then helped him into his sling.

"I guess I'm ready." Nick said with a sigh. Roxie took him by his good hand and gave him a smile.

When they arrived at the cemetery Roxie found both of them a seat in the last row. It was very quiet and very somber. Roxie sat patiently. She saw a few people she knew from growing up and gave them small waves. Everyone was taking their seats and she looked around for Nick. She then saw him talking to Brass. She could tell from the look on Nick's face that it wasn't good. He then started walking towards his car. She wanted to go after him, but suddenly the service started. She sat in her seat, but her eyes stayed on Nick. She saw him get in his truck. She bit her lip nervously just wondering what was going on. Roxie sat patiently and looked towards the podium.

The service was beautiful and Roxie could only imagine that this was similar to how her mother's service would be when the time came. Abruptly there was an explosion and pieces were flying everywhere. Everyone was running. Roxie had tripped and was on the ground. She felt pain shooting through her leg. She looked down to see what looked like a nail in her leg. Before she could react there was another explosion. Her heart was beating quickly. When she looked up she saw Nick running in the direction of the crowd. He suddenly pulled his gun and shot the ground.

"There's another bomb!" she heard him yell before suddenly there was another much larger explosion.

The ringing was loud and made her head pound. Roxie moaned out loud feeling the pain in her leg. Her eyes opened. The smell in the air was that of burning. Roxie looked at the scene around her. There were plenty of wounded on the ground. She then spotted Nick. She went to move her leg, but hit hurt too bad. She saw Nick get to his feet. She realized that he has seen her and he comes to her.

"Rainbow." He said as he reached her. Roxie could see that his wounds on his chest and shoulder were bleeding.

"My leg." Roxie said trying to not pay attention to the pain that was shooting through her leg. Though she could tell he couldn't quite hear her. He was much closer to the blast than she was. She felt Nick touch her leg. His eyes widened when he saw the nail in her leg.

"It's going to be ok!" he yelled. Roxie just nodded trying to not pay attention to the pain.

Sitting in a hospital bed Roxie ate the lunch the hospital provided. They were able to remove the screw from her leg. She had to get a tetanus shot and was on a drip of antibiotics just to make sure. Nick had stayed with her until the paramedics took her away. She begged for him to get checked out, but he wouldn't until he knew she was taken to the hospital. There was a knock at the door. Roxie looked to see Catherine walk in the room.

"How are you feeling?" Catherine asked.

"Alright. I'd be better without this terrible food." Roxie said with a laugh looking down at the disgusting lunch the hospital had provided.

"Yeah hospital food isn't the best." Catherine said.

"How's Nick?" Roxie then asked. She was concerned about him.

"Well despite how many times I begged for him to go to the hospital he continues to work." Catherine said. Roxie just shook her head.

"I'm worried about him." Roxie then said. "These last couple days. He has been on edge and having nightmares. I hate seeing him like that. Maybe… I don't know… maybe you can talk to him. You're like a sister to him. Maybe he will listen to you and will see somebody."

"I'll try, but you've obviously got to know him. He is…" Catherine started.

"Hard-headed." Roxie said.

"Beyond." Catherine said. "But I'll try for you."

"I love him too much to watch him suffer." Roxie said truthfully.

"You really do love him?" questioned Catherine.

"More than anyone could know. I don't know. Something just clicked one day with him. I couldn't help, but falling in love with him." Roxie said smiling. She could only think about how happy he made her.

"I'm happy for the two of you." Catherine said.

"Thanks." Roxie said.

"Well I need to get back to the lab, but I will make sure you get a ride home. Nick's truck is toast." Catherine said. Roxie nodded. Catherine simply waved and left.

Roxie was so happy to be home. She limped into her bedroom and found a pair of pajamas. Getting dressed she found herself on her couch looking at her cell phone. She only wished that Nick would finally call her. She just wanted to know how he was. She knew he was working, but she wanted to know if he was really ok and wanted to know what happened at the funeral, why had he just left. There was then a knock on her door. She lifted herself form the couch and limped to her door. Opening the door she saw Nick there. She instantly smiled at him so happy to see his face.

"Hey Country Boy!" she said happily as he walked into her place.

"How's my Rainbow?" he asked.

"I could be better. Looks like we both have stitches now." Roxie said as she lifted her pajama pants leg and showed off the spot where the nail had been sticking from her leg. "The doctor told me to try and not put too much weight on it for the next week or so."

"Well here let's get you sitting." Nick said as he took her by the arm to help her to the couch. They both sat on the couch in silence. Roxie was just so happy to have him near. She placed her head in his lap and looked up at him. "Today was…rough." Nick then said.

"Tell me." Roxie said looking him in his eyes. She wanted him to be able to talk to her. Nick was so grateful that he had her. He knew he had the team at the lab he could always talk to, but things were different with Roxie. She had this special something about her spirit that made him want to open up to her. She could sit and listen all day and he loved that she didn't even mind listening to him.

"Well Clark's family didn't want me there. I know they blame me for what happened." He started thinking about that morning and how it felt to be turned away from wanting to pay his respects.

"That's why you left." Roxie said.

"Yeah then I was getting ready to leave when I noticed cockroaches around the van of the floral shop. I heard this strange clicking coming from the van and looked to see it filled with explosives. As soon as I realized it there were already bombs going off and I just did what I could to keep anyone else from getting hurt too bad." He explained.

"Yeah I saw you shoot your gun." Roxie said.

"Well then you know what happened after that. We eventually found this group of crazies and turns out one of them along with his brother seemed to be trying to hurt police purposely…We caught the guy… well more… shot the guy…I umm…it was…difficult." Roxie could tell he was having a difficult time. She sat up and looked at him. She could see the tears forming in his eyes. She didn't know what to say. She wanted to take all his pain away. "Well that's done I suppose." Nick then said dismissing everything.

"Babe…" Roxie started. She knew that it was more than that. She knew he was in pain and having a difficult time. She held his hand. He was shaking. "It's ok. You're ok. Everyone is ok. You do your best. You do your job. It is all any of us can do." Nick looked at her. He simply didn't know how she always knew what to say. She was seriously an angel sent to him. Sent to be his strength when he needed it the most. He took a few deep breaths.

"I made an appointment… to talk to the department shrink." Nick said.

"That's great sweetie." Roxie said as she placed a hand on his cheek.

"I have to go two times. It's required so I figured I might as well get it done with." Nick then said shrugging. Roxie hated that he just dismissed things the way he did, but he was so similar to her. She did the same thing frequently and lately had been doing it a lot when it came to her mom.

"Well I'm glad you're going to get it done with. You'll feel better." Roxie said happily. She then moved towards him and placed a kiss on his lips. She felt him pull her closer and strengthen the kiss. Roxie was just happy that it was over. Things were going to get better and they had each other. She loved him too much.

A/N: Sorry it's a shorter chapter, but the last one was pretty long so it kind of makes up for it… right?


	7. The Key To His Heart

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 7: The Key to His Heart

It had been such a great night until the morning. Roxie sat alone at her kitchen table with a cup of coffee. She just smiled to herself thinking of how she got to spend the night in Nick's arms. It had been so great until he was called into work early in the morning. She hated that he had to leave her, but she understood. She had the same job and sometimes things were just not convenient. It has been a few weeks since the bombing and things were getting back to normal. Her leg was healing up nicely and she had already headed back to work and was once again solving cases left and right. With work and everything they hadn't gotten a chance to have a re-do on their first date. She'd planned an entire date for them starting with a unique dinner and a movie. That night was going to be perfect. She needed it to be perfect.

The evening had come much quicker than planned. Roxie felt amazing and looked amazing. She'd decided to dress simple and comfortably. She wore a pair of jeans with a simple grey crop top. She also had re-dyed her hair. The tips of her hair were now a pastel shade of pink. She curled her hair into large curls. She really hoped Nick liked it. She knew he wasn't a biggest fan of the green that she'd worn for the past month. There was a knock at the door and she knew it was him. Answering the door she smiled at her boyfriend who stood there in a pair of jeans and a plain grey tight t-shirt. She loved when he wore tight shirts that showed off his amazing body.

"Hey there." Roxie said happily as she saw him. He quickly pulled her into a kiss. Their morning had been interrupted by work, but now they had all the time in the world for one another.

Nick had been waiting all day to see Roxie. He knew she had something planned and he was looking forward to it. He thought she looked beautiful and he was happy that the green hair was no more. The pink looked much better on her. He placed his hands on her waist and kept her close. She smelled like fresh flowers. Everyday she amazed him. He had only dreamed of finding someone who could be the way she was with him. He had given up that this girl of his dreams existed until the day she walked into his office.

"Hey beautiful." He said as he touched her mahogany cheek.

"Everything is ready if you're ready." Roxie said cheerfully. "I'm driving."

"Lead the way." Nick said. Roxie closed her apartment door behind them and they walked down to her car. Nick spotted a basket in the backseat. He wasn't quite sure if that had anything to do with what they were doing.

"I hope you like it. I mean it will be kind of corny, but I think fun." Roxie said as she drove.

"I'm so intrigued right now." Nick said looking in her direction. For a split second Roxie turned and gave him a smile.

They had arrived at a local park. For the evening there were a lot of cars around in the parking lot. Roxie got out of the car and went into the backseat for the basket that had been sitting there. She also grabbed a folded up blanket. Coming around the car she handed the blanket to Nick.

"We are having a picnic… at night?" Nick questioned.

"Yes and more." Roxie said as she started to walk. She let Nick follow her. They then walked down into a large open space where there were plenty of people with their blankets set out and there was a screen at the end of the meadow. Roxie walked over near a tree on the edge of the meadow. "Set the blanket here." She said.

Nick followed instructions and spread the blanket out on the grass. Roxie then sat the basket down and kicked off her shoes. She sat on the blanket and Nick followed her lead.

"So what is this?" Nick asked.

"Well once a week there is a viewing of an old movie down here in the evenings. Everyone comes early to have a picnic dinner." She explained as she opened the basket. The first thing she did was toss Nick a beer. "I know it's your favorite." She said sweetly.

"Very right." Nick said giving her a smile. Roxie then pulled out a beer for herself along with some Tupperware containers.

"It's all food you could have cold. I made a chicken pasta salad and a couple mini sandwiches." Roxie said.

"What no take-out?" Nick questioned playfully. He thought he was bad, but Roxie was the queen of take-out.

"Amazingly no and shockingly yes I can actually cook. I'm just too lazy to do so." Roxie said as she handed Nick a fork.

"Come here." Nick said as she sat down his container of food. Roxie smiled at him and scooted next to him. His arms went around her and he held her close. "You're amazing my Rainbow."

"You are." Roxie then said to him. If anyone could help her survive what was going on with her mom it was him. He'd been her rock through it all so far. She didn't know how she was surviving this, but she know he was a large part of it.

The two of them enjoyed their dinner and lied on the blanket watching the movie. It was a beautiful film. Roxie thought about how the characters were very similar to them and how two people who seemingly wouldn't even be one another's type found love in each other. Nick held Roxie tight. He loved the feeling of having her in his arms. He placed a kiss on her forehead. She looked up at him and smiled. He placed a kiss on her lips. It felt absolutely perfect. He wanted to scream his love to her from the mountaintops.

When the movie was over Roxie drove them back to her place. He came up to her apartment with her. Roxie took their empty food containers into the kitchen. She felt hands move her hair and suddenly she felt something cold against her chest and neck. She realized Nick had put a necklace on her. She touched it and turned to him.

"Go check it out." Nick said. Roxie walked into her bedroom and turned on the light. She looked in the mirror to see he had given her a beautiful rose gold necklace. The pendant was a skeleton key, but the top of the key was in the shape of a heart and right in the middle was a heart shaped diamond. In the mirror she saw him come behind her. He used one hand to move her hair out of the way on one side. He slowly started to place kisses on her neck towards her ear. "Do you like it?" he whispered.

"I love it." Roxie said as she continued to admire the necklace. She'd never received anything like this before.

"Though you've already broken in I wanted to give you the key to my heart." He said. Roxie couldn't help, but smile. He didn't need to give her something like this, but she knew she would cherish it and hold onto it forever. It was truly a token of his love.

He then kissed her neck again. Roxie closed her eyes feeling his lips against the delicate skin of her neck. She felt his hands slip under her shirt. She bit her lip in anticipation. His hands moved up slowly. He then quickly turned Roxie to face him. He pulled her shirt over her head in one movement. He took her by the waist and pulled her in close. Roxie just looked him in the eyes. She would do anything for him no questions asked. They'd only been together for such a short time. Over the years Roxie had been in a couple long-term relationships, but she hadn't felt the way she felt with him with either of her ex-boyfriends. What she had with Nick was very real and she knew she couldn't lose it. Losing it was not an option.

Nick pulled her to her bed. They quickly found themselves in a battle with one another's clothes. Once they were finally free Nick just caressed her body. She wasn't the skinniest girl, but she was perfect in his eyes. He then looked into her eyes. Her honey colored eyes looked back into his.

"Nick…" she whispered. He just looked at her waiting for what came next. "Will you do something for me?"

"Anything for you." He said softly as he ran a finger over her collarbone.

"Make love to me." She then said in barely a whisper. He quickly took her lips into a passionate kiss. He pulled himself over her. Her hands settled on his shoulders as he slowly entered her. She moaned in his mouth. He held her close to him and he moved. He felt her legs wrap around him. He kissed her more. He didn't want his lips to leave hers. Though Roxie broke the kiss. She needed a breath. She felt his head move to her neck placing delicate kisses. Her breaths were shallow and her eyes were closed. There was nothing more perfect than this for her. She could feel his love for her radiating from his body.

"I…love… you." He whispered in between kisses. All Roxie could do was moan in response. She didn't have many words in the moment. She felt one of his hands move up her side and settle on the side of her breast. She placed a kiss on his shoulder as she felt him grip at her waist. She couldn't help, but to hold him also a tighter as she reached the summit.

Roxie groaned as she awoke. She could feel a hand on her bare waist. She smiled to herself. She turned to find Nick fast asleep next to her. He was beautiful when he was asleep. She then felt something and touched her chest grabbing the necklace he had given her. The memories of the night before flooded back into her mind. She slipped from the bed and found her panties on the floor. She slipped them on along with his t-shirt that she found next. She walked into the kitchen as quietly as possible. She figured she would make him breakfast. She'd just found the pan she was looking for when her cell phone started to ring. She rushed to it quickly so it wouldn't wake Nick up.

"Roxie Jones." She said answering her phone.

"Hello Roxie this is your mother's Doctor. Dr. Fishman." Came a female voice. Roxie recognized the voice.

"Hello Dr. Fishman." Roxie said. Normally her mother's doctor didn't make any calls to her unless it was urgent.

"Well as of this morning it seems your mother has taken a large turn for the worst. I wanted to warn you that at the most she will only have a couple more weeks at this point. I'm so sorry to have to inform you of this Roxie." The doctor said. Roxie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She did her best to scream though she found herself on the floor just sitting there, tears falling form her eyes.

"Umm… thank you… Dr. Fishman." She managed to say before quickly ending the call. Her breathing had become quick. Just as one part of her life was building up another part was falling down. She then hadn't realized it, but she was crying quite hysterically. She felt arms wrap around her. She knew she had awoken Nick. She pressed her face against his bare chest as she continued to cry.

"Sweetie." He whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair. "What happened?" Nick knew it had to be something with her mom. He could only hope that her mother had not passed away. He knew it was coming, but he could only hope that this was not the time.

"My mom's doctor called." Roxie managed to say. She looked at Nick in his eyes. "She only has a couple more weeks at most. I could lose my best friend any day now." Roxie fell back into hysterics as she realized that single fact. Her mother had been her everything since birth and now she would no longer have that single person who pushed her to be her best and who supported her through everything.

"I'm sorry." Nick said as he just held her. There was nothing he could do to change things and he knew it. The only thing he could do was to allow her to cry. She'd done that for him already and he appreciated it so much that he knew it was the only way to repay her.

The air was thick here. Nick personally had never been to the Cancer Ward at Dessert Palm. He had been to this hospital many times, but never to this part. You could feel that many of these people were facing their final days. In his job he dealt with death every single day, but this was entirely different. He normally dealt with the already dead and not the dying. He held on tightly to the vase of Skygazer Lilies, Roxie had told him one day that those were her mom's favorite. He walked passed the nurses station and down to room 435. He knocked on the door before entering. There in the bed was a middle-aged black woman with her head tied in a pink silk scarf. She looked in his direction.

"I know who you are." She said weakly. Nick walked more into the room and set the flowers down. "Thank you for the flowers Nick."

"Hi Mrs. Jones." He said to Sophia.

"Does my Roxie-Girl know you are here?" she asked.

"No she has no idea. I didn't tell her as you suggested over the phone." Nick said as she sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"Thank you." Sophia said as she looked at him. "How is my Roxie-girl? Whenever she comes in here I see that she is trying her best to be strong, but I know she's broken up about this."

"She is a wreck, but like you said she tries to be strong." Nick said. He could tell that Roxie got it from Sophia. For a woman who was dying she remained on the outside to appear very strong and very resilient.

"I know it's hard for her, but I'm glad she has you." Sophia said with a cough. "I told her one day that it was destiny that she met you. I can't explain it any other way. You've become her rock. When she comes in here all she can talk about is you and I can see how she just glows. I've never seen her light up in such a way. I can see how much she loves you and with you here I can see that you love her too."

"I do love her very much. I promise to take care of her." Nick said truthfully.

"Please do. She is my only baby. I just want her to have all the happiness. Roxie never really fit in anywhere. My baby struggled so much and even when she became a CSI she felt like an outsider. I don't think she ever felt like she belonged anywhere until she was with you. Her attitude totally changed. She'd found where she belonged. She belongs with you." Sophia said happily. Nick could tell that Sophia was content.

"I'd like your permission for something?" Nick then asked.

"Anything." Sophia said.

"When the time comes. I would like to ask Roxanne for her hand in marriage. I don't know when, but I know when the timing is right I will ask her. I want to spend my life with her. I can't imagine my life with anyone else." Nick said. He'd been thinking about it over and over. The only conclusion he had was that he would marry Roxie one day. She was everything he could ask for in a woman. He didn't care that she was much younger or a little quirky. She was an amazing woman and he wanted her by his side. He wanted to give her a ring and he wanted to make her his wife.

"You have my permission and my blessing. I know my Roxie will have a wonderful life with you. Thank you so much for caring for her. My dying wish was that Roxie would have a happy life. Now I know she will and it will be with you." Sophia gave him a smile and reached out her hand. Nick took her hand into his.

Roxie and Nick sat on her couch watching a movie on TV. Luckily it was a pretty slow night and Nick was able to get off early. Roxie had taken the night off. She needed some rest. Roxie lied with Nick's arms wrapped around her. She just saying in and having a quiet evening with him. She had glanced at the clock. It was nearly 1am. She then heard her cell phone ringing from the bedroom. She pulled herself up and walked into her bedroom picking up the phone. She couldn't believe the words she heard on the other end. The phone just dropped to the floor.

"Oh God!" she screamed out. Nick rushed into the bedroom to find Roxie sitting on her bed. Roxie turned and looked at him. "My mom died." She said simply.


	8. Endings and Beginnings

A/N: Home sick, but I've got my toddler with me today. Will see how much writing I can manage. Watching Season 11 though. Luckily my kid loves watching CSI too.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 8: Endings and Beginnings

Nick's hand firmly held Roxie's. Roxie was so grateful to have him by her side. The last few days had been the most difficult days she has ever been through. Sadly, but luckily for her, her mother had planned her entire funeral out and Roxie's job was just to confirm any details. Even though she'd known for a while that this day would come, she just didn't expect it to come up on her so fast. The service had been beautiful with all of the elements her mother had wanted. Now at the after service get together Roxie just wanted to run and hide. She had just buried her mother. Her heart was pounding and she just wanted to leave, but she knew she had to be there and to stand strong. She was grateful to have Nick holding her hand. A good chuck of the LVPD was there honoring her mother who had served over 20 years as an officer. Roxie was also grateful that many people from the lab had come. Most of them were the people she had gotten to know in her last few months temporarily working the nightshift.

"Hey Roxie." Catherine said as she approached giving Roxie a hug.

"Thanks for coming." Roxie said truthfully.

"No problem. We support our family." Catherine said. Roxie truly felt like she belong in the nightshift and the fact that the cases were dwindling down made her apprehensive. She really didn't want to go back to dayshift. She dreaded it with every new case she pulled from the box of open cases.

"People are starting to head out. Do you want to go home?" Nick asked Roxie who simply nodded.

Once in her apartment she kicked off her heels and sat on the couch. She just starred into the distance in silence. Nick went in the kitchen and put on her kettle to make her a cup of tea. He left the kitchen and found her on the couch. He didn't know the pain she was feeling in losing her mother, but he knew how it felt to lose your best friend. He sat down next to her and pulled her close to him without a word.

"Whatever you need you know I'm here." He said to her. Roxie looked up at him and gave him a weak smile. He'd been so amazing to her since she got that phone call that night. She couldn't have asked for anything or anyone better.

"I know." Roxie said weakly. She could feel her emotions welling up inside of her. She'd been strong through the entire service, but now she felt that the damn was full and on the verge of breaking. Nick could tell that she was about to break. He held her even tighter. "I'm…I'm…so lost." Roxie then choked out before she broke down into tears.

"Shh…shh…I've got you." Nick said as he held her close to him. He ran his hand down her arm. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body hoping that his relaxed state could help her relax. It seemed to be working. Roxie was beginning to be less hysterical and slowly the only sounds coming from her were small sniffles.

Roxie then looked up at him. He took his fingers and wiped away her tears. She simply smiled and he placed his lips on hers. His strength radiated into her and helped her. She then thought of the upcoming holidays. She and her mom always spent Christmas together at her mom's house. Roxie thought of the house that sat abandoned. She knew eventually she would have to go and start cleaning it out, but she wasn't ready for it just yet. She couldn't face that her mom would never be returning to the house that she worked so hard to pay for so Roxie could have a roof over her head. The kettle then began to whistle. Nick loosened his grip on Roxie and stood. He walked into the kitchen and poured the hot water into a mug to make tea. Roxie walked into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

"You know I'd imagined this day in my head for over a month now and I always saw it for myself, but today it was so different. I am grateful for everyone's support, but I feel like nobody really understands. It's normal to lose a parent, but I lost the one person I've always counted on." Roxie said as she looked at Nick. He walked to her and ran his hand over her arm down to her hand and took her hand into his.

"That afternoon before your mom passed. She called me and asked me to come see her." Nick started. Roxie was shocked. She had no knowledge of this. For all she knew her mother and Nick had never met. "I went to see her and she told me about how she was finally at peace knowing that you had me. Knowing that you would have someone to lean on always. I promised her that I would care for you and love you."

"She…she told you that and you did that?" Roxie questioned. She felt Nick's hold on her hand tighten.

"I did. I promised her that you'd always have me because I love you." He said giving her a weak smile.

"Thank you." Roxie then said feeling her heart swell. "Thank you for fulfilling her wish."

"I also asked something of her." Nick then said. He took his other hand and cupped Roxie's cheek. "I asked for her permission. I told her when I felt like the time was right. I would ask you to be mine. To be mine for always. I didn't plan on today, but I feel like as you close one chapter I want you to be able to walk into the new chapter." He then pulled a small box from his pocket and got down on one knee. "I've been carrying this around with me for a while now and I think it's time I give it to you. Roxanne." He said. Roxie smiled down at him. She knew exactly what was happening. "My Rainbow… I promised your mother I'd love you forever and forever is how long I want to be with you. Will you make me the luckiest man in Vegas and be my wife?"

"Of course I will." Roxie said happily. She didn't think on the day she buried her mother that she would have a smile this big on her face. He slipped the ring onto her finger. She realized it matched her necklace. Just like her necklace the ring was rose gold and the diamond was the shape of a heart just like the necklace. "It's beautiful."

"Thought I did an ok job." Nick said as she stood to his feet. He pulled her close to him. "I love you more than words could express."

"I love you too." Roxie said before he pulled her in for a kiss. That single kiss was filled with so many emotions and simply love as they stood there in that tiny apartment kitchen.

It was a few days before Roxie returned to work. She happily walked into the lab. She was ready to be back and looking forward to working. Opening the box of cases it was getting pretty empty. Her heart broke a little at the fact that her time here would nearly be over. She looked at Nick's empty desk chair. He'd been off working since early that morning when he was called to a scene. There was the sound of throat clearing at the door. She looked to see Catherine at the door. She entered the office and closed the door behind her.

"Hi." Roxie said.

"Hey Roxie. I wanted to talk to you for a second." Catherine said as she approached Roxie.

"Sure." Roxie said as she sat down the folder she had in her hand.

"Well it is obvious that your time with us is coming to an end. You've done such a great job getting these cases closed up for us." Catherine said.

"It's been no bother. I've enjoyed it." Roxie said happily though it hurt her heart that she was getting so close to emptying the box.

"Well we've loved having you around. I've spoken with your supervisor on days and they are still overstaffed. I've asked him if I can keep you here on nights after you've finished the task you've been brought here for." Catherine said.

"You want me to join the nightshift?" Roxie then asked.

"Only if you want." Catherine added.

"Of course I'll stay!" Roxie said happily. She couldn't believe it. In that single moment she was so happy. She'd finally found a group of people she fit in with and after being so afraid she was going to have to leave them she now didn't.

"Great welcome aboard officially." Catherine said. "And Congrats!"

"You know?" Roxie asked.

"About the engagement…of course. As soon as he bought the ring he came straight to me for my opinion on it. I'm happy for both of you." Catherine said sweetly.

"Thanks." Roxie then said.

Roxie sat in the break room eating her middle of the night lunch. She'd actually managed to make her own food and bring it with her. The last couple days off had been useful for her. She looked down at her ring and smiled. As much pain as she had been in with losing her mom she saw the light at the end of the tunnel with Nick. She was still so amazed that he had proposed to her. She then felt hands on her shoulders that then slid down her arms. She looked up to see Nick smiling down at her.

"Hey Country Boy." She said happily. He bent down and kissed her lips. He then sat in the chair next to her.

"Hello my Rainbow." He said as he picked up her container of food and took a couple bites. "This is good."

"I made it." Roxie said proudly.

"You did?" Nick questioned.

"Guess what?" Roxie asked happily.

"What my dear?" Nick questioned taking another bite of her food.

"I spoke with Catherine earlier and she offered me a position here on nightshift and I accepted." Roxie said happily.

"That's great. I'm so happy for you and for us." Nick said.

"Me too. I'm so happy I don't have to leave you once I'm done." Roxie said. "Did you close your case?"

"Yeah we did. Turns out the guy and one of the girls were having sex on the balcony railing and it was an accident. Dude slipped." Nick explained. Roxie burst into laughter.

"Why would anyone have sex on a balcony railing?" Roxie then asked.

"No clue. Not my cup of tea." Nick then said as he pulled Roxie's chair closer to his.

"No we will just keep it simple. I like it the way we do it now." Roxie said sweetly. He pressed his lips softly to hers.

"Aww young love." Came a voice from behind them. They turned to see Sara standing there with Greg and Catherine. Catherine was holding a cake. She walked in and sat it on the table. The cake read: Congrats Nick & Roxie.

"You guys." Nick said.

"We are so happy for you guys." Catherine said.

"Yeah congrats and welcome to the team Roxie." Greg said.

"Thanks." Roxie said sweetly.

"So are you ready to meet the in-laws next week?" Sara asked.

"Next week?" Roxie questioned.

"Thanks for ruining the surprise." Nick then said.

"I'm lost." Roxie admitted.

"Umm guys let's give them a minute." Catherine then said as she, Sara, and Greg quickly left the room.

"Well I know this was going to be your first Christmas without your mom and I thought you could use a good time and be away from Vegas. I booked a trip for both of us to Texas next week for Christmas." He explained. Nick wanted this to be a good Christmas for Roxie. He didn't want her to have to really think about the fact that her mother wasn't there. He wanted her to be able to celebrate with him and he knew it would be a great opportunity for his family to meet her.

"Well I need to request time off then." Roxie said.

"Well until you've finished with that box of cases I'm your supervisor and your time off is approved." He said giving her a wink. Roxie threw her arms around him. She was so happy that he had thought of doing this for her and she was so excited to see where he grew up and to meet his family. It was like her life was starting over again just with him.

A/N: Reviews?


	9. Outsider

A/N: This morning I got more writing than planned done, which was cool. My child slept in and played on her own for a while. Now it's naptime!

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 9: Outsider

It was pouring raining as their flight landed. Roxie had been so nervous about this trip. She had no idea what to expect. The fact that Nick's family was so large scared her. She'd only ever had her mom and no other family so the concept of a large family was hugely foreign to her. As he drove the rental car Nick stole glances at Roxie who sat nervously in her seat. He could tell that she was very nervous. During the flight he did his best to reassure her, but that didn't seem to help. He knew that his family would accept her with open arms; well at least he hoped they would.

Nick pulled onto a large patch of property and down to a huge house. Roxie figured they must have arrived. She knew that this had to be the house because you needed quite the space to raise 7 children. Nick pulled the car next to a black Mercedes. He got out of the car and came around to Roxie's side and opened her door. The two of them jogged through the rain to the porch where it was dry.

"Rainbow… don't be nervous. They will love you." He said to her. Roxie still wasn't convinced. She had spent most of her life as an outcast of sorts. She watched as Nick knocked on the door. Moments later it was opened by a small Hispanic woman.

"Hola Nick." The woman said sweetly in a thick accent. "Come out of the cold. I will let your parents know you are here." She said as she moved from the front door allowing both Nick and Roxie into the house.

"Hola Marisol." Nick said sweetly to the woman. He had known her since he was young. She was the family's housekeeper. He knew his mother must have been working her hard getting ready for Christmas. It was supposed to be the first Christmas in a long time that all the kids would be home. Marisol left Nick and Roxie alone in a formal sitting room. To Roxie it reminded her of a room one would see in a magazine. Everything in the room was in its perfect place and it was perfectly spotless. There was a large Christmas tree at one end of the room that looked like they brought it straight from a department store; everything just like this room was perfect on the tree.

"My baby!" called a female voice. Roxie and Nick turned to see a brunette woman standing in the entrance to the room with her arms opened. Jillian Stokes stood there as her soon made his way to her. Nick looked at his mother who was always put together. He swore she must have slept in a pants suit. Nick walked to his mother who pulled him into a hug.

"Hey mama." He said to his mother as she let him go. She looked around him and her eyes landed on Roxie. Roxie didn't really know what to say or do. She was already so anxious.

"You brought a friend." Jillian said still looking at Roxie.

"Yes mama this is Roxanne." Nick said referring to Roxie by her given name. Truthfully Roxie liked when he called her Roxanne.

"Hello Roxanne." Jillian said. Roxie approached her cautiously giving her a nervous smile. "You are sure festive." She said noting Roxie's hair that remained pastel pink.

"Hello Mrs. Stokes it is wonderful to meet you." Roxie said as she put out her hand. Jillian took Roxie's hand and shook it.

"So how do you two know one another? Do you work together?" Jillian questioned.

"Yes... ma'am." Roxie answered quickly.

"Roxie lost her mother a few weeks ago and I thought it would be nice for her to not be alone for Christmas." Nick said. It then hit Roxie that his parents didn't know anything about her. She looked at Nick. Nick knew he was in deep. He hadn't told his parents he was seeing anyone. Truthfully he didn't know how to tell them about Roxie specifically. She wasn't the typical girl they expected him to bring home. She was on the colorful side and they were pretty conservative compared to Roxie and the way she was raised.

"Well I wasn't expecting more people, but you are welcome. I will have Marisol set you up in a room then Roxanne." Jillian said.

"That won't be necessary mama. She can stay with me." Nick said as he put his arm around Roxie's waist. He guessed there was no time like the present to let his mom know that Roxie was here with him as more than a friend.

"Oh…you two are…together?" Jillian questioned.

"Yes ma'am." Nick answered. He wasn't quite ready to break the engagement news and he would wait until he could tell everyone at the same time.

"Well then. I've got you setup in the same room as always." Jillian said.

"Ma'am the butcher is on the line." Marisol called out from another room.

"I better get that. Had a big order this year." Jillian said as she quickly left the room.

Roxie turned to Nick. She didn't know what to say. She had expected that his family knew about her. She wasn't sure if she was more concerned or furious with him. Nick knew he was in the doghouse and was going to have to make things up to her.

"You haven't told you family about me?" Roxie questioned in a hushed voice.

"No I just didn't know how." Nick said placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you embarrassed?" Roxie then asked. She felt a lump in her throat. She was then afraid of what he was going to say. She hadn't expected to walk into this situation. She figured that they knew about her and their engagement.

"No I'm not…well…I just didn't know how to explain you." Nick said truthfully.

"So you are embarrassed by me?" Roxie asked. Tears had already started to fall from her eyes. She wiped them away quickly. She just wanted to leave. This wasn't at all what she was expecting.

"Rainbow…" Nick started as he pulled her in by the waist. "You know I love you. I'm sorry I neglected to inform my family about you and our relationship. I'm sure they will all love you."

Roxie let out a sigh. She wasn't exactly sure. His mother had referred to her as colorful. She didn't know if that had to do with the fact that she was wearing bright colors and her hair was pink or to the fact that her skin was brown. Roxie was very uncomfortable, but knew she had nowhere to go in the moment. Nick kissed her gently. She knew he loved her, but she hated the way he kept her a secret.

"It looks like the rain has stopped. Let's get the bags from the car. We can go freshen up and get a little rest. I know my brother Rich will be here soon with his wife and kids." Nick said as she ran his hand down her arm. She simply nodded in response.

After getting their bags Nick led her upstairs and into a blue painted bedroom. The room was very formal and of course like the rest of the house looked like it popped from a magazine. Roxie took off her shoes and sat on the bed. She hadn't said much to Nick the entire time. She was still processing everything in her mind about how his family didn't know about their relationship. She hated that he put her in this situation knowing fully that Roxie did have some social anxiety and meeting new people could sometimes be difficult for her. Nick walked through a door that she assumed was the bathroom. She just sat on the bed thinking. Her brain was starting to hurt with all the thinking she had done. Nick re-entered the room. He sat next to her on the bed.

"I'm sorry." He said as he grabbed her hand and laced his fingers with hers.

"Wasn't the situation I was expecting to walk into." Roxie said truthfully as she looked at him.

"I know and it's my fault. Listen it is going to be a great time." He said. Roxie leaned in placing her forehead against his.

"Just tell me you aren't embarrassed by me." She whispered.

"I'm not embarrassed by you Rainbow. You're mine and I want everyone to know." He said before pulling her into a kiss. Roxie kissed him back. She smiled against his lips. She loved him so much. It was hard for her to find the words for how much she loved him.

The two of them were exhausted from working all night and then traveling that they fell asleep together. Roxie opened her eyes. She was in the bed alone. She stood up and went into the small bathroom that was connected to the room they were in. She took a washcloth and cleaned her face before brushing her teeth. She ran a comb through her hair and looked at herself. She looked presentable. She left the room and retraced her steps from earlier. As she got closer to the sitting room she could hear many voices. Her heart was beating quickly. Suddenly a woman with dark brown hair cut into a bob exited the sitting room.

"Hi." The woman said.

"Hello." Roxie said nervously.

"You must be Roxanne. I'm Nick's sister Helena." She said happily as she approached Roxie.

"Nice to meet you." Roxie said.

"You too. Everyone is just sitting around in there." Helena said. Roxie simply smiled and walked into the sitting room. There were a lot of people here. She spotted Nick sitting on the couch with another guy who looked a lot like him and a blonde guy she was sure was one of his brother-in-laws.

"Roxie." Nick said as he spotted her. Roxie walked in his direction. When she reached him he pulled her into his lap. Nick then cleared his throat loudly. All of the talking in the room started to quiet down. "Everyone I would like you to meet Roxie." He announced.

"So this is the girlfriend mom has been talking about." Said a woman sitting near the Christmas tree holding a small baby in her arms.

"Well everyone is here." Nick said. Roxie saw Helena whom she met in the hall enter the room and take a seat next to Jillian. "Roxie isn't just my girlfriend… she's my fiancée." There were gasps that came from around the room. Roxie could feel eyes on her. She was very nervous and hated being the center of attention.

"Fiancée?" questioned Jillian who was obviously shocked. Roxie bit her lip. This wasn't how she expected this moment at all.

"Yes a few weeks ago I asked Roxie to be my wife." Nick said proudly.

"Well congrats little bro." said a guy from across the room. He looked a lot like Nick, but older with a thick grey beard and greying hair.

"Thanks." Nick said holding onto Roxie.

"Umm son… can we talk to you for a minute in the kitchen?" Jillian asked.

"Sure." Nick said unsure of what was the big deal. Roxie quickly moved from his lap, but he took her hand for her to join.

"Alone please." Jillian said with her eye on Roxie.

"I'll be back." Nick said to Roxie as he let her hand go. Roxie sat in the spot that Nick had occupied. The room was silent and Roxie could feel the eyes of everyone on her. She wanted to crawl in a hole in that moment.

Nick followed his parents into the kitchen. He stood against the counter with his arms folded. He was confused to why they would call him out. He knew it had to do with Roxie, but what couldn't they say in front of Roxie to him. His parents eyed him for a moment. He felt like he was 10 years old and about to get in trouble for something.

"Nicolas." His mother started. He knew this was big because she never called him by his proper first name. She sighed. He could tell she was still formulating her words.

"Pancho son…is this some kind of joke?" His father Bill then spoke.

"Is what a joke?" Nick asked.

"Bringing in this random girl and telling us she is your fiancée. How much are you paying her for this?" Bill said.

"I'm not paying her anything and she isn't some random girl. She is my fiancée." Nick stated. He was starting to get angry, but he checked himself not wanting to lash out at his parents. He respected them and he only wished that they could respect this decision.

"I was hoping it was a joke." Jillian then said as she started to cry.

"Mama don't cry." Nick then said.

"How long have you known her?" Bill asked.

"I've known her a few months. She is a CSI." Nick stated hoping they could see something.

"How old is she?" Jillian then asked.

"She's… 27." Nick stated hesitantly. He knew that her being much younger was not going to go over very well.

"You are nearly 40 and you are dating a girl who can barely be out of college." Jillian then said. "How do you think this looks?"

"Why is her age a big deal?" Nick asked. "You'd never know it. She is very mature and very independent."

"Oh you'd know it." Bill said with a chuckle.

"You would with that pink hair. Who does that?" Jillian questioned.

"How are we going to tell our friends that our son is marrying a…" Bill paused.

"A black girl with pink hair." Nick then said finishing his dad's sentence. "Are we really going there?"

"I didn't say anything to that nature." Bill then said.

"But you were thinking it." Nick said starring his father down. He hurt thinking of the way his parents saw Roxie. He only wished that they could see her in the way he did. She was smart, fun, sweet, independent, mature, and hardworking. She was everything he could ask for in a woman.

Everyone could hear that voices were starting to raise in the kitchen. Roxie was very uncomfortable. She just wanted to hide or wake up knowing this was all some kind of dream. It couldn't actually be reality. She wished she could speak to the one person that she couldn't, her mom.

"So Roxie…" a voice came from across the room. On another couch was a woman with dusty blonde hair in one long braid that went down her shoulder. Nick had gone over a photo of his family with her and she knew the blonde sister was Trista.

"Yes." Roxie answered weakly.

"Where are you from?" Trista asked breaking the ice.

"Las Vegas, born and raised." Roxie answered.

"Cool." Trista said. Roxie gave her a weak smile. "Our family is obviously huge. Do you have any siblings?"

"No…only child." Roxie answered.

"No way!" came the voice next to her. This she knew was Rich. He was closet in age to Nick.

"Yeah just me." Roxie said.

"So what do you parents do?" asked another voice. This she knew wasn't a sister, but one of the sister-in-laws, she hadn't quite memorized all of the in-laws names.

"My mom was a cop… she passed away a few weeks ago." Roxie said.

"Sorry for your loss." Trista said.

"So your dad is all alone for Christmas?" questioned Helena.

"No dad in the picture. Always been just my mom and I." Roxie said. She'd never been interrogated before; she normally did the interrogating. Suddenly then she felt like she was saved when the heard footsteps coming. Nick entered the room. She could see on his face that he wasn't completely happy. Her heart was beating quickly.

"Alright we better get into the dining room for dinner." Jillian said forcing a smile. Everyone started to get up from their seats and leave the room. Roxie stood, but Nick took her by the hand.

"I'm sorry about that." Nick said to Roxie who stood there. Roxie really had no words. She felt like a complete outsider like she'd felt like her entire life.

The next couple days were just as awkward for Roxie. The first day she really tried her best to get to know everyone. Most of Nick's siblings were pretty great. The oldest sisters didn't seem to keen on her, but the only thing Roxie could do was try. It was Christmas Eve and Roxie sat in the bedroom reading a book. Everyone was downstairs having a great time, but Roxie didn't feel like wasting her time. She felt like they had made up her minds about her. She sat starring at a page in the book she had been reading. Her mind had drifted away. She looked down at her engagement ring. She didn't know if she could marry into a family that didn't seem to like her. She wiped a tear away just as there was a knock at the door. She looked up to see Jillian enter the room.

"I'm sorry dear. I thought the room was empty. Just bringing fresh towels." She said as she sat the towels down on the dresser.

"Thanks." Roxie said. Jillian stood in the doorway for a moment and then fully entered the room closing the door behind her. She then sat on the edge of the bed.

"Roxie… this is hard for us… I know you can tell. Nick is my baby and I've seen him through a lot. He falls easily and well he fell for you. You aren't what we expected for sure, but over the last couple days I see the way he looks at you. He loves you beyond anything I could imagine. I want to apologize for not accepting you right away. I still have a ways to go, but I want my son happy and it seems happy is with you." Jillian said. Roxie just looked at her. She didn't expect this.

"Thank you." Roxie then said. "I appreciate it."

"So… when's this wedding?" Jillian asked.

"I have no idea." Roxie admitted. "I want it to be soon though. Maybe over the summer."

"I bet your family is thrilled." Jillian said.

"I don't have a family. My mom was all I had. There is one else." Roxie said. She hated saying out loud that her mom was dead. She hated to think about it. She hated knowing that she had no one left.

"You're kidding?" Jillian questioned.

"No ma'am." Roxie said.

"Well if you don't mind I would like to help you with the wedding." Jillian said. Roxie turned to her shocked. She hadn't expected this at all. It was like night and day the turn around in his mother's attitude.

"Yes please. I'd love that." Roxie said.

"Fantastic." Jillian said clapping her hands together. "Would you like to come down? Most of the girls are down in the garden room. The guys are out in the cold playing football."

"Sure." Roxie answered.

Roxie followed Jillian down into the Garden room, which was a large indoor patio room. All the girls sat having drinks and watching the smaller children play in a corner. Roxie took a seat closet to the door. She could feel eyes on her.

"I invited Roxie down." Jillian said as she took the seat next to Roxie. "I am so excited to help with this wedding."

"Where will it be?" one of the sister-in-laws asked.

"I have no idea." Roxie said.

"You should do it here." Helena said excitedly. "Like here on the Ranch. It will be beautiful."

"That would be perfect." Jillian said clapping her hands together. Roxie smile. It did sound perfect to her. Just then the guys walked inside all muddy. Nick came to Roxie and smiled. He was happy to see that she was spending time with the others and not locked away in the bedroom alone.

"You guys are going to make the cutest babies!" Helena said excitedly.

"I know right." Nick said as he pulled Roxie up by the hand and pulled her close.

"Stop you're all dirty." Roxie said trying to fight him off, but he continued to pull her close and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Now you have to come get clean with me." He whispered in her ear.

"Get a room you guys." Trista said.

"That's where we're going." Nick said winking at his sister. Roxie just shook her head. There was now a permanent smile on her face. Things had gotten much better and she was happy to be here and be there with him.

A/N: This chapter struck close to home. I totally know what it is like to marry into a family that doesn't really care much for you and being a complete outsider in your new family.


	10. Happy Birthday

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 10:

Over a month had passed since Christmas. Roxie ended up having a great time, but she was grateful to get back to Vegas. She was happy to be back at work and was nearly done finishing the box of open cases. She would soon be joining everyone else in the normal routines of the nightshift. For now she had the task of cleaning out her mom's house. She had put it off for too long. Truthfully she was happy to finally be getting it done. She had put the house on the market and people were interested. Her mom always expected her to live in it, but Roxie honestly couldn't do it. There were too many memories and she just wanted to start new. Packing up her mom's things was the hardest task of them all. She took a break from her mom's things and went into her old bedroom. So many of her own things had remained in the house. She opened a cardboard box and pulled out awards and some photos. She sighed looking down at her younger self. She heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Babe." Nick's voice called.

"I'm in here. Up the hall." Roxie called out. Moments later Nick entered the purple bedroom.

"I know this had to have been your room." He said as he sat on the old bed next to Roxie who was going through a box. He picked up a photo of her he saw in the box. "You were the cutest." He said looking down at the photo of a 5 year old Roxie. "You're still cute."

"Thank you sweetie." Roxie said to him. "I think I'm done in here today. Tomorrow a dumpster will be put in the driveway so we can get rid of all the trash. I got a few hits for some of the furniture and so we will see how that goes. It won't be too long before this place is empty."

"Alright. I've loaded up the few boxes you wanted to take. Do you want this one too?" he asked motioning to the box she had on her lap.

"Yeah." Roxie answered looking down at the photos in the box.

The two of them took the boxes back to her apartment where she stored them in the spare bedroom. They were so close to having the entire house empty. Roxie soon would be selling the house that she grew up in, the house her mom worked so hard to pay for. Roxie got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. Nick was lying on her bed looking at his phone.

"Anything interesting?" Roxie questioned as she walked into the room drying her hair. Nick looked up from his phone and saw his beautiful fiancée walk into the room.

"Come here." He said as he sat his phone down. Roxie walked in his direction and stood next to the bed. He quickly grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. Roxie burst into laughter.

"Hey you." Roxie said looking down at him. She could feel his hands slipping under her towel.

"I've been thinking about something." Nick said looking at her.

"Hmm." Roxie simply responded.

"I want you to move in with me." Nick said.

"I…I don't know." Roxie then said. She was nervous. She'd never lived with anyone else beside her mother and for the past few years she had lived alone. "Is that really a good idea?"

"It's a great idea." He proclaimed. "We're getting married this summer and I think it would be great for us. Plus we can spend so much more time together. I miss you when I'm away from you." He continued to run his hand up her body. She felt one of his hands slip between her thighs. She inhaled at the feeling.

"Babe…" she sighed. He didn't say a word before he placed a kiss on her lips and continued to touch her. "Yes…" she whispered against his lips. "I'll move in with you. Once I finish my moms house I'm all in."

"Perfect." He said before he rolled her onto the bed. He straddled above her and loosened the top of her towel. Roxie bit her lip as he then bent down and kissed her neck. She moaned out as his hand slowly touched her body. She guessed moving in together would mean more moments like this. She closed her eyes and took it all in.

Roxie sat at her normal spot next to Nick's desk going over one of the open cases. She was so close to finally being done with them. There were only about 10 more cases left in the box. She spotted Nick walking up the hall with a cart full of boxes. Intrigued she walked into the hall as he was going to pass by.

"What's in the boxes?" Roxie asked.

"Just some body pieces." He said simply.

"Fun stuff." She said as looking at him. He came over to her and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the lips. "Mmm…I need a little more of what you gave me before we came in."

"There is a lot more where that came from." He whispered down at her placing another kiss on her lips. "I've got to go take these body parts."

"Yeah I'm guessing you should." She said as he let go of her.

"Oh guess who I just met?" he questioned.

"Who?" Roxie asked as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Ray's wife." He said.

"Really? What's she like?" Roxie asked.

"She seems nice." He said.

"We should invite them on a double date." Roxie said happily.

"I'll see what I can do." He said. "Well I need to get going. See you later."

"Yeah see you." Roxie said giving him a smile.

Roxie sat in bed with a magazine. She'd gotten home from the lab much earlier than Nick who was just finishing up his case. Jillian had sent Roxie a box full of wedding magazines. It had really started. They were really getting married. Roxie couldn't help, but be excited. She was in love and very happy. She couldn't believe that her life had taken such a dramatic shift. She looked down at her engagement ring. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself. Life was good. She knew her mother was looking down on her.

She heard her front door open. Nick said he would be coming by. She sat up in bed and waited. He walked into her room and sat his things down next to her bed. He got into bed next to her. She looked around at all the magazines on her bed.

"Getting ready?" he questioned.

"You can say so." She said happily. "I was thinking. We need to set a date."

"Yeah we do." He said as he put his arm around her and pulled her close. He couldn't believe that time was moving so quickly. It was a few weeks before Christmas that he had proposed to her and now it was already February and they wanted to get married during the summer. He couldn't wait to see her walk down the aisle towards him. He had imagined in his mind how he would feel when he first saw her, but truthfully he knew he wouldn't know that feeling until they were there.

"I like June." She said.

"End of June?" he questioned.

"Yeah…" she picked up her cell phone and opened up the calendar application. "How about June 21st?"

"June 21st it is. We will have to call my parents." He said happily.

"Yeah." She answered. She knew her magazine pile would soon triple one his family got the news that they had picked a date.

"So on June 21st I'll be making you my wife." He said as he pulled her into a kiss. She smiled against his lips. She was going to be his wife in only 4 months time.

"I can't wait." She said happily, though she felt a pang in her heart. She had always imagined that her mother would be there. It broke her heart that she wouldn't be.

"So when I was leaving I was talking to Ray. Turns out Gloria is his ex-wife." Nick said as he picked up one of the magazines on the bed.

"But he still wears his ring." Roxie said.

"Well he was headed to her wedding. I told him he should probably take it off before he went." Nick said. He really didn't understand anything he was seeing in the wedding magazine.

"Good idea." Roxie said as she leaned onto his shoulder and looked at the magazine he had been looking at. "I like those bouquets." She said as she pointed out bouquets of beautiful white hydrangeas.

"They're pretty." Nick responded.

"By the way." Roxie started as she looked at Nick. "Happy Birthday." She said sweetly.

"I could have forgotten. It's been a long shift." He said looking at Roxie. "Thank you babe." He said as she kissed him.

"I couldn't think of anything to get you." Roxie admitted. "Is there anything special you'd like?"

"Just you." He said as he threw the magazine he had to the floor. He pulled her in close and placed his lips on hers. Roxie giggled against his lips. "What's so funny?" he whispered.

"If figured you would say that." She whispered back as she pulled away from him. She stood and untied her robe. Under her robe she wore a lacy dark blue negligee. His eyes widened as he watched her drop her robe to the floor. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." He said with a grin on his face. This was looking to be the best birthday yet. His fiancée was standing there nearly naked covered in slinky lace.

Roxie moved back on the bed. She straddled Nick and started working on his belt. She smiled down at him. She could see excitement written all over his face. She then helped get his shirt over his head. She bent down and kissed him fully. She felt his hands working up the sides of her legs. She began to place kisses down his chest. She stopped and ran her hands over the scares that remained from when he was shot some months back. She moved her hands to start slipping off his pants and underwear. She then returned her lips to his. She felt his hands slip under the lace. She knew he would be please to know she wasn't wearing anything else underneath.

She looked down at him. She knew he was waiting. She bit her lip as she lowered herself onto him. She let out a moan. His hands settled on her waist as she started to move slowly. She wanted to give him all of her. She'd planned this as best she could. She looked down at him. She knew he was simply in heaven at the moment. She felt one of his hands slowly move up her body. She threw her head back feeling every feeling take over her body. Her breathing was rapid.

"You're amazing." Nick whispered. She then bent down and took his lips with hers. She loved being with him. There was nothing better than being connected with him in such a way. She moaned into his mouth. She was nearly there. He rolled on top of her. He looked down at her and smiled. She allowed him to take charge.

"Oh… yes…" she moaned out loud. She felt him kiss her neck. Everything was how it should be. When he collapsed onto her she whispered, "Happy Birthday."

A/N: Yeah it was short, but the last chapter was long and pretty dramatic. They needed a little fun because Next chapter will be taking place with Season 11, Episode 15 "Targets of Obession".


	11. It's Over

A/N: This chapter takes place during the Season 11 episode "Targets of Obsession". There is some dialogue that is apart of the show. I literally had to sit watching the show and pausing to write all the lines.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 11: It's Over

Success! Roxie was on the last case of the box. It has been a long few months getting these solved, but she'd done it. Not all alone, but they were solved. She was pleased with her work as she stood putting ink on the bottom of shoes and pressing their impressions to paper. She loved doing things like this on the job, they made it a little fun. She heard a throat clearing at the door. She looked to see Nick standing in the door. She gave him a smile as he walked in.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"Making shoe impressions." Roxie said as she sat down the shoe she had just finished. "Are you headed home?" she asked. She had been looking forward to a warm shower and snuggling into bed with Nick, but she wanted to finish what she was doing.

"Yeah I'm going to hit the gym first and then go home." He said as he watched her pick up another shoe. "I guess you aren't done here."

"No not yet. I want to get through these shoes and then I'll be coming home. You can warm the bed up for me." She said with a smile.

"Will do my best." He said as she gave her a small kiss. Roxie had moved in with Nick and had been there for at least a week at this point. Both of them loved it. Roxie loved the change of scenery from her small apartment and Nick loved having her there nearly all the time.

Once again there was something clearing their throat. Nick turned and Roxie looked to see Catherine in the door. She had her hands on her hips as she watched them.

"So here is where I have to do my job as supervisor." Catherine said to the two of them. "You guys have been showing a little too much PDA and I've gotten a complaint. Everyone loves your love. I love your love, but keep your love to a minimum around here."

"Sorry." Roxie said at once. They had been showing a little too much recently.

"It's cool. Just a warning." Catherine said giving a reassuring smile and a wave before leaving the room.

"You got us in trouble." Roxie then said to Nick.

"No you did missy." He said giving her a smile.

"Whatever." Roxie said rolling her eyes jokingly. "Who do you think complained?"

"My money is on Hodges. He doesn't seem too pleased with our relationship. I think he's jealous." Nick said as he looked out the room into the Trace lab where his eyes connected with Hodges' eyes.

"Maybe." Roxie said. "Well I'm going to finish up here."

"Alright my Rainbow. Don't work too hard." Nick said with a smile.

"I'll try not to and I'll be home soon." Roxie said sweetly. They gave one another a wave since kissing was out of the question. Roxie watched Nick leave the room. She then looked down at the pile of shoes she hadn't processed yet. She knew she was going to have to work quickly because she really wanted to make it home.

Nick's heart was beating hard and quick as he was given the ok to back away slowly from his own front gate. He'd nearly walked into a trap when he received a too timely phone call from Jason McCann. He was a strange mix of afraid and pissed off. He had been looking forward to just lying down after a long night of work, but that was now no longer going to happen. He slowly backed away down the path in front of his gate. He then went to walk towards Catherine and Vartann who were now there waiting a safe distance away. A bomb tech came over and put his hand on his arm.

"Get off me! I'm all right." Nick shouted out of frustration. He continued in the direction that he was originally going. He made it to Catherine and threw his jacket down. He was royally pissed off. "They came to my house! That kid has my private number! I'll tell you what if they are looking for a fight they found one. I'm not afraid to die. Let's see if they are."

"Nick come on now." Catherine said trying to calm him.

"I'm serious!" he shouted angrily.

"I know you're serious." She said. "Just dial it down. Come on. Did you see anything?"

"I don't know." He said with a frustration sigh. "There was a maroon van with an extended cab on the room. You know I didn't think anything of it."

"Neighbors saw that same van." Vartann said.

"You think they were sitting in that van, waiting for me to blow up?" Nick questioned.

"You said that Jason McCann called you?" Vartann then asked.

"Yeah I think that kid saved my life." Nick said.

"Nick that kid should be in jail." Vartann then said.

Suddenly a thought struck Nick. It took over his whole body. He sat on the curb. He suddenly felt violently ill just thinking.

"Nicky are you ok?" Catherine asked.

"What if Roxie had come home before me?" he questioned looking up at Catherine. "Roxie could have been hurt. I wouldn't forgive myself if Roxie got hurt in anyway."

"Thank God she didn't." Catherine said as she sat down next to him.

Roxie pulled onto her new street she'd barely lived on the street a week at this point. Suddenly there was a police block in the street. She could see a ton of emergency vehicles. She was so confused to what was going on. She parked the car and got out. After she left the lab she realized they hadn't done any grocery shopping so she stopped off at the store to pick up a few things. She started making her way up the street to see what was going on.

"Ma'am I can't let you past this point." A police officer said.

"I'm a CSI." She said as she pulled out her ID. She showed the officer who then gave her a nod. She made it up the street where she noticed that everything was centered at she and Nick's house. Her heart began to beat fast as she walked faster. She then spotted Nick sitting in the curb with Catherine. "Hey what's going on?"

"Oh my god Roxie!" Nick said as he saw her. He jumped from the curb and grabbed her into a hug. "So glad you are ok."

"Ok… what's happened?" Roxie asked concerned.

"You remember that guy I shot who had bombed Clark's funeral?" Nick asked her. Roxie just nodded. "Well as soon as I got home his brother calls me and just as I walk into the gate tells me to not go home. Just as he says that I walk into a wire. They left a grenade at our front porch." Roxie just gasped. She looked up at him concerned.

"They are sweeping the rest of the house and you guys should be allowed in soon." Catherine said to Roxie.

"I'm so glad you didn't make it home first." Nick said as he ran his hand down her arm.

"I would have been home sooner, but as soon as I left the lab I realized we hadn't gone grocery shopping. I went and picked up a few things." Roxie explained.

"We need to get to the bottom of this. I don't mind if something happens to me, but I'm not allowing Roxie to be in danger." Nick said.

"Babe…" Roxie started. She didn't know what to say to him. She could tell he was scared out of his mind. Truthfully she was afraid to. The thought that she could have come home first frightened her.

"Hall Jason McCann's ass into PD." Catherine said to Vartann.

"Will do." Vartann answered before he walked away.

"All clear!" called out a bomb tech.

"Well you guys can go home." Catherine said.

"No we're going back to the lab." Nick said.

"Babe I really want to shower and maybe go to sleep." Roxie said.

"No! You aren't staying here alone!" he shouted.

"Babe please… calm down." Roxie said as she held his hand. She'd never seen him this way. He was very agitated and very worked up.

"I'm sorry for yelling. Roxie please I don't want you here. The lab is the safest place right now. I'm sorry. Please just come for me." He said to her. Roxie simply nodded. She knew that he just wanted what was best for her and she knew the lab was most likely the safest place for her to be in the moment.

"Ok." Roxie answered. "I'll come."

Getting back to the lab Roxie figured if she couldn't do anything else she would work for a little bit. She was so tired, but if she had to be there she would be there. She looked up at the clock. It was getting close to noon. She knew Nick had gone down the PD. She went to the vending machine and got a couple sodas and a bag of chips. She figured she could at least give him what food she could muster in the moment and check on him. He was still pretty shaken up and she wanted to calm him. She walked through the station and saw a young teenage boy exit the interrogation room. She then saw Nick exit and stood in the hall talking to Brass. Roxie made it down to where they were.

"So that's the kid?" she questioned.

"Yep." Nick answered.

"I can't go home and sleep in my own bed because of some pre-pubescent kid who looks like he can be some Canadian pop star?" she said frustrated.

"You nailed it." Brass said. Roxie let out a sigh followed by a yawn.

"Well I brought you a soda." She said handing Nick one of the cans she had gotten from the vending machine.

"Thanks sweetie." He said as he took her by the hand. He walked with her down the hall and sat in a chair. Roxie took the chair next to him. "Hey I'm sorry about all of this."

"I get it. I'm just tired." Roxie said yawning again.

"Until we get these guys I don't feel comfortable with you going home." Nick said. Roxie just nodded. "Go get on the couch in the break room. Try and get some sleep. I know it's not our bed, but it's something for now."

"Alright." Roxie said giving him a weak smile. Nick felt terrible that Roxie had to be wrapped up in all of this mess. He suddenly wished he hadn't of asked her to move in with him. At least then she would still have her own home to go back to.

This day just couldn't be real. Nick was standing there watching a bomb being disabled. They had gone to this warehouse only to be trapped inside with a bomb counting down. He watched the clock as it counting down. His heart was beating quickly and his breaths shallow.

"45 seconds." Nick said informing Kip the bomb tech. After a few more slowly passing seconds the clock went blank.

"Hate to break it to you Stokes. You aren't dying today." Kip said with a smile on his face.

"Damn." Nick said jokingly. "Well I get to go home to my beautiful fiancée."

"Good man." Kip said. Nick then went walking towards Catherine and hugged her.

"He got it." Nick said happily.

"GET DOWN!" Kip suddenly yelled out. Nick grabbed Catherine and pulled her to the floor.

Roxie awoke where she had fallen asleep on the couch in the break room. She didn't know how long she had been asleep, but she knew it was awhile. She at least felt a little bit refreshed though it wasn't her warm bed next to her man like she had been looking forward to. She looked around the room. She saw her soda sitting on the table. She stood and walked over to the table picking up her soda and taking a sip. Suddenly Greg ran into the room out of breath.

"Something wrong?" Roxie asked.

"It's Nick." Greg said. Roxie suddenly felt fear fill her body. She could only hope he wasn't dead. After she left to nap she didn't know what else had transpired during the day. Her heart beat quickly as she waiting for Greg to say something else. "It seems he will be ok. There was an explosion. I'm headed to the hospital now."

"I'm coming." Roxie said quickly as she grabbed her jacket from the couch and followed Greg out.

Roxie was so shaken up. She didn't know what to think. She knew Nick was alive and that settled her nerves a lot more than they would have been. She was sincerely hating this day and only hoped it would end soon. She walked quickly through the halls of the hospital. She then saw Nick with Catherine in the hall. Roxie nearly broke into a run. As soon as she reached him she wrapped her arms around him.

"Rox, Rox, I'm okay." He said as he held her close. He truthfully knew there was a chance that he wouldn't have been there. He remembered when he came to that Roxie was his first thought. He was grateful to be alive for Roxie. He could only hope all of this would be over soon. He just wanted to hold her close and be in the moment with her.

"Will this be over soon?" Roxie then asked. She didn't know how much more she could take.

"Very soon. I promise." He said smiling down at her. He then pulled her into a kiss. It felt nice to kiss her knowing that he could have never kissed her again. "I think you can go home now. I know you are tired. Take a long hot bath and relax." Roxie nodded. She was grateful that she could finally go home, but at the same time she was afraid of how things were going to end. This was still ongoing. It wasn't going to be over until it was over.

Nick walked to the front door of his house. He was exhausted. Today had been a whirlwind. He was grateful though to be able to walk into his home in the evening. He opened the door and the house was silent, but he could see light coming from the bedroom. He held a bouquet of pink roses in his hand as he made his way up the hall. Walking into the bedroom he saw Roxie sitting in bed in her pajamas. Her pastel pink hair pulled up in a messy bun. She was on her laptop and wearing her glasses, something she rarely did. She looked up at him and smiled.

Roxie was so overjoyed when she saw him. She sat her laptop down and jumped from the bed. She nearly tackled him throwing her arms around him. She looked up at him and she couldn't help, but smile.

"Is it finally over?" she asked.

"It's over." He said as he pulled her in by the waist and planted a kiss on her lips. They had lived through another day, but tomorrow was going to be an entirely different day. For now they had each other and that is all that mattered to either of them.


	12. You Still Won

A/N: It is actually quite difficult at times to write along with the show's going storyline, but its fun. I get to watch some of my favorite episodes over and over again.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 12: You Still Won

It has been a long night, but Roxie still had work to do. She was so tired; must more tired than usual, but work had to be done. She stood in the middle of a living room. This living room was a crime scene. There was the body of a young woman on the floor with an obvious gunshot wound to the head. Roxie walked around the body taking photos and documenting everything she saw as she always did. A uniformed officer stood outside the door. Roxie was alone on this case. Everyone else was so busy and with Nate Haskell running around everyone was on edge. She sighed as she placed a marker at a shell casing and took a photo. Suddenly she heard the sound of a floorboard creek. She quickly stood and pulled out her gun.

"Hello…" she called out. She heard more noise. "LVPD come out with your hands where I can see them." She said trying to remain calm with her gun pointed towards the hallway.

"What's up in here Jones?" questioned the officer who had now stepped inside the house with his gun also drawn. Roxie pointed into the hallway. Suddenly there were the sounds of small footsteps and a small little girl appeared. Roxie quickly put her gun away and slowly walked to the girl.

"Hello… what's your name?" Roxie asked the little girl who couldn't be much older than 4.

"Sasha." The little girl said.

"Hi Sasha. I'm Roxie I work with the police…is this your mommy?" Roxie asked as she pointed to the woman on the floor. Sasha simply nodded. Roxie noted the little girl had some blood on her. "Alright Sasha did you see or hear anything?"

"The scary man came back… he yelled at mommy. I hid in my room." Sasha said looking at Roxie. She was hugging a little teddy bear in her arms. "I hear a big bang. I came out and I see mommy."

"Thank you for telling me Sasha. We are going to find the scary man and make sure he can't hurt anyone else." Roxie smiled at Sasha. "Who is this?" Roxie asked the little girl as she referred to the teddy bear.

"Mr. Bear-Bear." Sasha said.

"I'm sure Mr. Bear-Bear did a good job keeping you safe." Roxie said. Sasha nodded.

"Your hair is blue." Sasha said noting Roxie's pastel blue hair. Sasha giggled.

"Yep my hair is blue." Roxie said smiling at the little girl. "So Sasha my friend over here is going to take you to get checked out. Just to make sure you are 100 percent ok and I'm sure he will have a lollipop for you."

Exhausted Roxie pulled up to the lab after spending a couple hours at the hospital processing Sasha. Roxie was starving and felt like she could eat everything in her sight at the moment. Her stomach growled loudly as she entered Nick's office. He was sitting there on the phone. She leaned against the doorsill waiting for him to finish his phone call.

"Alright… yep… will do. Thanks." Nick said as he hung up the phone. He looked up to see Roxie who wasn't looking to hot in the moment. "You don't look well." He noted.

"I'm just tired and very hungry." Roxie said as she sat down at the chair in front of his desk where she used to do all her work before she closed up all the cases the lab was left with after Riley unexpectedly left. Now Roxie was working along with the team on new cases. "Just spent a couple hours at a scene and then a couple hours at the hospital processing a little girl who was hiding in the house. I just want some food and a nap."

"I can promise food." Nick said. "A nap might have to wait."

"Oh yeah your mom is coming in." Roxie groaned. She was actually quite excided that her future mother-in-law was coming to town because she was going with Roxie to pick out a wedding dress.

"Yeah her plane lands in like 2 hours." Nick said as he stood. "We should head out now. Get some food and then go pick her up."

Roxie felt the zipper of the dress zip up her back. This was the 7th dress she'd tried on today. She was so tired and was feeling sick to her stomach, but despite how sick and tired she was, she was actually enjoying herself. Jillian had arrived with a positive attitude and very excited to help Roxie pick out a dress. Roxie had always imagined this day in her head. She'd always imagined her mom sitting there waiting for her to come out in the next dress. It broke her heart that her mom wasn't there, but she was grateful that things were will between her and Nick's mother and she at least had her there. Roxie exited the dressing room. She heard a gasp come from where Jillian was sitting. Nearly every dress had some type of emotional response from Jillian, but this reaction was different. She seemed mesmerized. Roxie turned to the mirror setup in the corner. She gasped at her own reflection. This dress was everything she could want and more. She felt tears escaping her eyes. She knew in that moment this was the dress she was going to marry Nick in. She had to marry him in this dress. It was everything and more.

"There are tears." Announced the shopkeeper. "I think we've found the dress." Roxie simply nodded in response. This was definitely the dress.

Waking up from a nap Roxie rolled over in bed. She was alone. She looked over at the clock and it was much later than she anticipated it to be. After finding her dress she had lunch with Jillian before taking Jillian back to the airport, she was only there to dress shop with Roxie and headed back home to Texas. Roxie was appreciative of Jillian for coming out just to shop with her for a dress. Roxie sat up in bed and looked at the clock, she had definitely overslept. She dragged herself from bed and started to get herself ready for work. As soon as she stood she felt the huge urge to vomit. She rushed into the bathroom and all of her lunch came out. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath hoping the nausea would fade away.

Going into work there was something in the air. Everyone was running around all excided about something. She didn't have time to figure it out. She was very late getting in, but she was glad that she got the extra rest. She put her things away and walked down to Catherine's office. She knocked on the door and Catherine looked up and gave her a smile.

"Sorry I'm late. I wasn't feeling well and overslept." Roxie said truthfully.

"It's cool I totally understand." Catherine said.

"Thanks so much." Roxie said feeling better knowing that she wasn't going to be in any trouble. She then saw Sara walking up he hall with Greg. She was just the person she wanted to talk to. "Hey Sara." She said as she approached Sara.

"Hey Roxie." Sara said. Roxie and Sara had actually become close friends in the months that Roxie had started working grave. It was nice to actually have a friend at work outside of her fiancé.

"Hey I was wondering if I could talk to you for a sec." Roxie said.

"Sure." Sara answered. The two of them walked into the break room together and both took seats.

"So Nick has told me you aren't the most traditional person and you frown at certain traditions especially when it comes to marriage…" Roxie started. "Of everyone I know I couldn't think of anyone else to ask. Would you be my Matron of Honor?"

"Wow umm…" Sara said not really knowing how to respond.

"You don't have to wear some fluffy dress and there won't be a gaggle of bridesmaids. We are just doing a Matron of Honor and a Best Man. You've become my closet friend outside of Nick and I would love if you could do this for me. You get to pick your own dress. As long as it's this color." Roxie said as she pulled out a color swatch from her pocket. The color on the swatch was a pastel green.

"Let me guess. You are going to dye your hair this color?" Sara asked with a smirk.

"Actually… I don't know." Roxie said truthfully. "My future mother-in-law has already asked me to dye my hair back to my natural color just for the wedding."

"Oh mother-in-laws." Sara said with a laugh.

"Yeah." Roxie said laughing.

"Well… You gave a good argument. I will accept and be your Matron of Honor." Sara said happily.

"Thanks so much!" Roxie said giving Sara a hug. "So umm… what is going on around here?"

"The cycle." Sara simply said. "So bets on which CSI Nick or Greg bring in the Natural death to complete it."

"Oh God." Roxie said rolling her eyes.

"Yeah." Sara said laughing. "Well I better get going."

"Yeah me too. Thanks again." Roxie said as she stood.

Roxie strolled down the hall towards autopsy. She had to get the report on the female DB from the house with the little girl. She hummed a song as she walked. She was feeling a lot better as the nausea seemed to have faded. She bit her lip thinking about something. She had suspected something, but it wouldn't be until later that she could confirm her suspicions. She then saw someone walk out of autopsy. She was greeted with Nick's smile as she saw her. He walked to her and took her by the hand. He pulled her through a door into the supply closet that had once been Ray's office. Once he closed the door behind them he pulled her close and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Hey you." He said holding her by the waist. "You were asleep when I left. I didn't want to wake you since I knew you were tired and not feeling well."

"I overslept, but I feel so much better." Roxie said sweetly. She allowed him to kiss her and run his hand under her top. "We can't do this in here."

"Nobody will find us." He whispered as he slipped his hand over her breast. Roxie let out a moan.

"No, no." she then said as she moved his hand away. "Later."

"Alright." He said still holding her close.

"So I heard about the cycle." Roxie said rolling her eyes.

"Did you put anything down on me?" he asked.

Roxie then laughed. "Not putting anything on anyone. Even though I was born and raised in Vegas…I don't gamble."

"Smart lady though it's all mine when I get my natural." Nick said running his fingers through her blue hair.

"You can keep it all." Roxie said before she kissed him quickly. She then wiggled from his arms. "Now I have to get back to work."

"Alright I'll see you later." Nick said as Roxie made her way to the door.

"Later." Roxie said giving him a wave and walking down to autopsy.

When she walked in there was a young guy she'd never seen before. He was walking around in sunglasses. Roxie stopped in her tracks trying to figure out who this guy was. He then noticed her and walked in her direction.

"Well helllllllooooo." The guy said.

"Umm hi... who are you?" Roxie questioned.

"I want to know are you Ma?" he asked removing his sunglasses for a second and giving her a wink.

"Did you really just call me Ma?" Roxie questioned. "Why do men think it is cute to call a girl Ma? Seriously you are trying to come onto a girl. I'm not your mother unless you have fantasies of having sex with your mom."

"Oh snap girls got tongue." The guy said.

"Kevin!" yelled out Dave's voice sounding very annoyed. "Please leave CSI Jones alone."

"Whatever!" Kevin said as he turned and walked away.

"Sorry he's the new guy from LA." Dave said.

"It's fine." Roxie said shaking her head.

"Hello Roxie." Doc Robbins said as he entered the room. "You just missed your other half." He said referring to Nick.

"No I saw him." Roxie said. "So cause of death for my DB?"

"Yep as you suspected a gunshot wound to the head. I did find some sticky brown substance on her neck. I sent it over to trace for you and there was a foam in her mouth along with lesions that reminded me of drug use. I sent a blood sample to Tox." Doc Robbins said.

"Thanks Doc." Roxie said happily.

"You're welcome and I wanted to let you know that the Mrs. And I bought our plane tickets to come to the wedding." He said.

"Thank you so much." Roxie said beaming.

Walking into the Toxicology Lab Roxie saw Henry with a pile of money. She was intrigued to what it was for. Henry then looked up at her and shook his head.

"I've been waiting for you." Henry said.

"Really?" questioned Roxie.

"Of course you are coming to put money down on your _Boo Thang_." Henry said. Roxie could help, but burst into laughter.

"Did you really just say _Boo Thang_?" she questioned shaking her head still laughing.

"Maybe…" Henry then said shifting on his feet.

"Cute, but no I'm not here for that. I'm not putting any money down. I'm here about the blood sample that Doc sent over from my DB." Roxie said.

"Oh that." Henry said walking over to his printer. He pulled out a paper and handed it to Roxie. "It seems your DB has been using Heroin for quite some time."

"Thanks." Roxie said.

"Hey Roxie." Henry said.

"Yeah." Roxie answers.

"If Nick wins I hope he take you out for a nice dinner." Henry said.

"Aww thanks Henry." Roxie said before she walked down towards Trace.

That shift felt like it lasted forever. Roxie lied in bed waiting for Nick to get home. She was trying to contain her excitement. She seriously couldn't believe this was happening. Her suspicions had been completely correct. She only hoped she wouldn't scream it out when Nick came home. She heard the front door open knowing it was Nick coming home. Minutes later she saw Nick walk into the room. He kicked his shoes off and collapsed onto the bed. He didn't look too pleased.

"You didn't get your natural?" Roxie questioned.

"No. It went to Dave and Doc." Nick said.

"Good for them." Roxie said happily. She turned to Nick who was just looking at the ceiling. "Well you still won anyway."

"No I didn't." Nick said turning to Roxie trying to figure out what she was getting at.

"Yes you did. You won." Roxie said as she handed him a white stick. Nick quickly realized the stick was a pregnancy test. He looked at the little digital screen that simply said: YES+

He looked at her. He didn't have words for the moment. Roxie just simply smiled at him. Nick quickly pulled her to him. He placed a huge kiss on her lips and just looked at her.

"Say something." Roxie said.

"I'm in shock." Nick said.

"I am too." Roxie said with a laugh. "But I told you… you still won."

"I'm going to be a dad…we're having a baby!" he said happily placing his hand on her belly. He was beyond excited and beyond happy. He was going to be a father. He and the woman he loved were not just getting married in less than 3 months time, but they were going to be having a baby.


	13. Love Is Your Color

A/N: So I see that there are readers in Belgium… PM me.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 13: Love Is Your Color

The months seem to fly by. It had been a difficult couple of months though. Things went a little haywire and upside down at the lab with the Nate Haskell thing and Ray's wife being kidnapped. Roxie remembered worrying sick about Nick when he went to LA and was trying to help Ray. When it was all over everyone was a little shaken up. Roxie was happy that June had finally arrived and at this point they were only 2 weeks from the wedding, which meant only 1 more week until they would be leaving to Texas. Roxie's excitement seemed to build everyday for the wedding and for the miracle growing inside of her. With so much going on it helped Roxie and Nick keep their secret, but Roxie was finally ready to let everyone at the lab know they were expecting.

Roxie stood in the mirror looking at herself in her work vest that had now gotten pretty tight on her. With just her work clothes alone it was getting difficult to hide her growing belly. She sighed and put her currently dusty purple hair into a quick ponytail and walked into the living room where Nick was waiting for her. They had been called out to a scene.

"I can't wear this vest." Roxie said as she began to take off her vest.

"Yeah it's obviously tight." Nick said smiling at his fiancée. He walked to her and placed a hand on her little bump and rubbed it. "Hello in there."

"I think bumpie wants to sleep." Roxie said with a smile. The one thing she had worried about was the fit of her wedding dress, but the seamstress at the shop had been so great to make sure to account for her growing belly.

"I think it would be nice to tell everyone tonight." Nick said looking at Roxie. Roxie nodded.

"Yeah everyone has been down the last few weeks and it will be some nice news for a change." Roxie said as she placed her hand over Nick's that was on her belly.

"We better go." Nick then said.

"Yep let me just grab a jacket." Roxie said as she walked to the closet and pulled out one of her work jackets that was big enough to hide her belly.

The night seemed to be going by quickly, which was good for Roxie who was starving. She couldn't wait until the shift was over to they could drive through In N Out and she could get a Double Double with Animal Style Fries and a Chocolate Shake. It was all she wanted at the moment. She felt like she could smell it she was craving it so bad. Every second that passed drove her insane because she just wanted her food. Roxie walked into the break room where everyone was just sitting around. She saw Nick sitting on the couch eating a bag of chips. She walked straight to him and took the chips from his hand.

"Sorry, but I'm starving." She said as she sat next to him and started to eat his chips.

"Everyone is here… shall we tell them now?" Nick asked.

"Tell us what?" Greg then asked looking in their direction.

"We have a little announcement." Nick said happily wrapping his arm around Roxie. He was beaming with delight. He had been waiting to tell everyone, but with everything going on it really wasn't the right time and now Roxie was hitting her 2nd trimester. It was time to shout it to the world. "Roxie and I… are expecting."

"Expecting what?" Greg asked.

"Are you that dumb?" Catherine questioned hitting Greg in the back of the head with a folder. "They are having a baby."

"Seriously?" Sara asked.

"Seriously!" Roxie said excitingly. "I'm due at the beginning of December."

"Do you know what you are having yet?" Catherine asked.

"No not yet." Nick said rubbing Roxie's belly.

"We are hoping while we are in Texas to get into an ultrasound clinic and find out with the family." Roxie said happily.

"Congrats you guys!" Catherine said happily. "You guys don't play around."

"So have you guys told the family?" Greg asked.

"Nope." Roxie said.

"We are planning to tell them when we head down there in a week." Nick said. He knew his mom wasn't going to be too happy that they kept it a secret from her, but they wanted to surprise her and tell her in person.

Roxie stood in the Ballistics lab with a gun in her hand. This was one of Roxie's favorite parts of the job. She loved getting to go in and shoot a gun. She loaded the weapon, which they assumed was the murder weapon in her case with Nick. She walked over to the tank and pointed the weapon.

"FIRE IN THE WHOLE!" she screamed out before firing the gun into the tank. "Awesome!" she said to herself. As she reached in to get the bullet.

"Hey Roxie can I talk with you for a sec?" Catherine asked as she walked inside.

"Yeah no problem." Roxie said happily as she sat the gun down on the table.

"This is more of a safety thing, but I am suspending your time in the field. Just because it can get dangerous and you've got the baby and all." Catherine said.

"No I get it." Roxie said. She knew eventually she wouldn't be able to work in the field anymore and would be stuck in the lab until she was no longer pregnant.

"I'm glad. We just want to limit your activity in the field and in the Tox lab to be safe." Catherine said.

"We?" questioned Roxie.

"Well the co-shift supervisor signed on." Catherine said. Roxie smiled she knew that Nick was included in the _we_. She knew that he was already worried about the time she was spending in the field from the day she told him about the pregnancy. "Now I cannot wait to see pictures from the wedding." Catherine then said.

"I'm so bummed you can't make it." Roxie said sadly.

"Well all of us can't abandon the lab and as supervisor I have to make the hard call to stay behind." Catherine said.

"Yeah I get it." Roxie said.

"Are you excited? Are all the details worked out since you are planning it long-distance?" Catherine asked.

"More than excited." Roxie answered. She was going to marry the man she fell in love with. Nothing could be better than that. "So far everything is planned out great. Amazingly even though things didn't start out good with Nick's parents they have been the biggest help. The wedding is going to be on the Ranch. We are doing it out in a field. Nick's dad knows a carpenter who custom made benches for the guests to sit on and he also made a beautiful arch for us to get married under. The reception is going to be in the barn and Nick's mom took care of hiring the caterer and the florist. I just had to send her my ideas and it's been taken care of."

"I never had a big fancy wedding so I'm so excited for you." Catherine said.

"Thanks so much." Roxie said smiling.

It was like the next week just flew by. Roxie remembered the road they were on as Nick drove their rental car. They had arrived in Austin and were heading to his parent's home. Roxie was nervous for once. They only had a week left until the wedding and they were going to inform his parents of her pregnancy. Roxie could feel her heart beating out of her chest. Everything felt more real than it had ever felt. Nick took her hand. He could feel Roxie's nerves. Truthfully he was just as nervous if not more. He was worried about what his parents were going to think about her pregnancy and he was also nervous about the wedding that was only a week away. He stole a glance at Roxie whom he knew he wanted to marry with everything inside of him. Roxie was simply different. Roxie didn't fit in anyone's box. Roxie was her own box of sorts. He was attracted to her spirit. He tried imagining his life without her, but at this point it was impossible. Without her he had nothing left to live for.

Pulling onto the property Roxie was happy they had finally arrived because driving had made her sick to her stomach, but she was excited that this was the beginning. When she left this place she would be a wife, she was going to be his wife. As soon as the car pulled up to the house Nick spotted his mother standing on the porch. Roxie got out of the car fluffing out her shirt trying to not draw attention to her ever-growing bump.

"Nick, Roxie!" Jillian said happily as she came to them. She threw her arms around Nick and hugged him before then hugging Roxie. Nick went into the trunk to get their bags. He handed Roxie a pink garment bag. This bag contained her dress. Roxie couldn't wait until he saw her coming down the aisle in it. "This is the dress?"

"Yes it's my dress." Roxie said.

"I have a special place for it." Jillian said as she took the bag from Roxie's hands. "We need to keep this safe until the big day."

"I'm going to take the bags inside. Same room as always?" Nick asked his mother who nodded.

"So Roxie how was the flight?" Jillian asked as she started to walk with Roxie to the house.

"It was great." Roxie answered. Jillian took a seat in a chair that was on the porch. Roxie took one of the other chairs.

"So did you two finalize the honeymoon?" Jillian asked.

"Yep finally. Spending 3 weeks in Hawaii. Nick has some things to do there for work and then we get to relax and enjoy our first weeks of marriage." Roxie said happily. She was so excited that this opportunity had come up for the two of them to be able to go to Hawaii.

"So when does your Matron of Honor arrive?" Jillian asked.

"Friday morning." Roxie answered.

"And your hair?" questioned Jillian. Jillian had been putting pressure on Roxie to dye her hair a natural color for the service.

"I have an idea, but I'm not 100 percent on it yet." Roxie said thinking of the idea she had for her hair that was currently two different shades of purple at the bottom. "It will have to be executed the morning of."

"Oh no I'm worried." Jillian said. Roxie just smiled. She knew exactly what she wanted to do with it and she knew everyone was going to be a little shocked and a little amazed with it.

The evening came quickly. Roxie looked at herself in the mirror. She held her shirt up and looked at her belly in the mirror. She couldn't believe that there was a baby in there besides the fact that her belly was slowly growing. Nick walked up to the entrance of the bathroom and watched Roxie as she examined her belly. She looked absolutely beautiful. He couldn't believe that in only minutes they would be reveling their pregnancy to his parents. He just stood and watched her for a moment more until she looked in his direction and smiled. Roxie walked to Nick and wrapped her arms around his neck while he pulled her close by the waist.

"I love you." He said looking her in the eyes. Roxie couldn't help, but smile.

"I love you too. More than words can say." Roxie said sweetly. Nick pressed his lips to hers. They stood there for a moment lost in one another.

"We should get down to dinner." Nick then said. Roxie simply nodded as she allowed Nick to take her by the hand. The two of them made it into the dining room where Nick's parents were waiting at the table. Nick pulled out Roxie's chair for her and she sat down.

"It's the only quiet dinner before everyone starts arriving." Jillian said happily as she started to fill everyone's glasses with wine.

"No wine for me." Roxie said quickly as Jillian got to her glass.

"Are you sure?" Jillian asked.

"Very. No drinking for me." Roxie said looking at Nick.

"Yeah Roxie won't be drinking for about 6 months or so." Nick said looking at his mother. Jillian looked confused.

"Well the first 3 months weren't too hard." Roxie added hoping that the dots were going to connect.

"You aren't?" Jillian asked with the biggest smile on her face.

"She's not what?" Nick asked.

"She's pregnant isn't she?" Bill asked. Roxie simply nodded. Nick had the largest grin on his face.

"We're getting another grandbaby." Jillian said happily. "Wait you are already 3 months?"

"Yes." Roxie then said.

"Why did you tell us earlier?" Jillian asked looking disappointed.

"Nobody knew and we wanted to tell you in person." Nick said.

"Well congratulations." Bill said to the happy couple.

"We called up this x-ray place and we made an ultrasound appointment for the day after the wedding. So we can all learn baby's gender together." Nick said to his mother who he could tell was nearly jumping with joy.

\/

Roxie looked at herself in the mirror. She looked exactly how she expected to look. She held her breath for a moment trying to not cry. She could see her mother's face in her mind. She knew that her mother would be beaming as she looked at her. Her mother was supposed to be there, her mother was supposed to see her get married to the man of her dreams. She closed her eyes to fight the tears away. Her make-up was already on and perfect. She opened her eyes and looked at herself again. Her dress was a lace 1950s inspired fit and flare tea length dress. Her shoulders were just exposed as the lace fell just off her shoulders. She gave herself a smile as the door to the room opened. Sara walked in wearing her Matron of Honor gown, which was a lace one-shoulder floor length pastel green gown.

"You look gorgeous." Sara said as she laid eyes on Roxie.

"You do too." Roxie said happily. Sara handed Roxie her bouquet that was made of a mixture of ivory and pastel green hydrangeas tied together with twine. There was then a knock at the door. Jillian entered the room wearing a knee length pastel green lace dress.

"Oh my goodness. I barely recognize you." Jillian said looking at Roxie. "And your hair. I love it!" she said happily.

Roxie had decided to do something very drastic with her hair. She'd had her hair cut into a pixie cut, which meant all the color was gone and her natural dark brown hair was left. She had been thinking about cutting her hair for a long time, but now she was able to do it. She was mostly excited to see Nick's reaction to her hair. She hadn't told him anything about her plans and she knew that he most likely assumed she was going to dye her hair.

"I still love this dress. As I told you the day you picked it out. It reminds me so much of what I wore when I married Bill." Jillian said happily wiping her tears away as she looked at Roxie.

"Should we start heading out?" Sara then asked. Jillian simply nodded as she was overcome with emotion.

Nick sat on a chair in the barn. His parents had done a wonderful job getting everything together with only the photos of inspiration that Roxie had sent down. He was anxious as he sat. In only minutes he would be seeing his bride for the first time. He really had no idea what to expect from Roxie. That was something he loved about her. She was a wildcard. He felt a hand land on his shoulder. He looked up to see his father.

"So Pancho are you ready to tie the knot?" Bill asked as he walked around and sat at the chair across from Nick.

"I'm more than ready." Nick said thinking of Roxie. He remembered the first day he met her when she walked into his office. He remembered not knowing what to expect from this crazy dressed girl with pink and purple hair. He hadn't expected that girl to blow him away, he hadn't expected to fall in love with that girl.

"Well guests are arriving and your mother called. They are on the way down." Bill said.

"Alright Cisco…let's go get me married." Nick said standing.

Roxie was shaking she was so nervous. A car took her down to where the ceremony was to take place in a beautiful meadow on the property. She could see guests sitting on the gorgeous handmade benches. From afar she spotted the few people from the lab who were able to fly down for the ceremony. Jillian got out of the car and helped Roxie out on the side that no one would see her. Sara also got out of the car.

"Good luck." Jillian said to Roxie as she walked off towards the ceremony.

Roxie stood shaking. She could hear the music start. She watched as Sara started her way down the aisle. Everything about this moment was surreal. She looked to see Sara standing in her directed spot. The music then changed and Roxie knew it was time for her to walk. She took a deep breath and came from behind the car. She started to walk and there at the wooden arch she spotted Nick. Her heart could have dropped in that moment. She saw him grin at her as she inched closer.

Nick couldn't believe his eyes. He swore this was not the same girl he had given a goodnight kiss to the night before. The girl he last saw had long hair filled with hues of purple. All of the purple hair was gone and her hair was cut short. He couldn't help, but smile as she looked beautiful, she was like a vision. She finally made it down the aisle to him. He took her hands into his.

"You look amazing." He whispered to her.

Every second of the ceremony was everything they both could have wanted. Roxie felt like the smile on her face would become permanent as he slid the ring onto her finger. When the minister said, "You may now kiss the bride." Nick was ready. He quickly pulled her close and took her lips with his. Though there were screams and whistles coming from the crowd that moment was silent for the two of them. That moment was theirs and theirs alone even with all of the eyes on them.

Nick stood on the dance floor with his wife in his arms. He just swayed her slowly back and forth. Most of the guests had left and they were nearly alone. Everything in that moment was perfect. He looked down into her eyes. He was looking into the eyes of his wife and the soon to be mother of his child. Nothing was going to bring them down and nothing could tear them apart. He felt like he had waited his entire life for this and there he was with her in his arms.

"Why do you love me?" Roxie asked looking at him.

"I love you because you are…smart, fun, witty, beautiful, courageous, a wild child. I love you because with you nothing is black and white. Love is your color." Nick said. Roxie smile and ran her hand over his cheek. Nick pressed his lips to hers.

"I can't wait to learn the baby's gender tomorrow." Roxie said smiling at him.

"I think it's a girl." Nick said.

"Me too." Roxie said. "A baby girl named Sophia."

A/N: I didn't want to write the entire ceremony. I hate writing wedding ceremonies because they are so long to write. I am pleased with this chapter. I tried my best to describe what everyone wore, but in case you need visuals I made a facebook page. Go to facebook /TheMoonyAngel7 and there you will find everything.


	14. Changes

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 14: Changes

Roxie rolled over in bed. She didn't want to get up. She already hated the fact that they were no longer in Hawaii. The last three weeks had been the definition of perfection, but now it was time to get back to real life and go back to work. She turned to Nick who was next to him. He ran a hand over her belly and gave her a kiss.

"We've got to get up." Nick said.

"I don't want to." Groaned Roxie.

"I don't want to either, but Sophia needs us to make money." Nick said referring to the baby girl that Roxie was carrying.

"I miss Hawaii." Roxie said as she slid out of the bed and walked over to the closet to figure out what she was going to wear. Nick also got out of bed and walked up behind Roxie. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her close.

"I miss it too." He whispered in her ear. "I miss being by the ocean, I miss the relaxation in the air, I miss having sex with you… every day." He planted kisses down her neck.

"I miss all of that and more." Roxie said. "Ughh I guess we work." She said as she pulled a dress from the closet. Her favorite thing about being pregnant and not working in the field was she could wear dresses to work. She had a stripped hot pink and black maternity dress that she picked up in Hawaii that she decided would be appropriate for her first night back at work.

Nick had been called away to a scene as soon as he and Roxie were ready. Roxie drove herself into work. When she walked into the lab things just felt different. She could tell things had changed just from how she felt. She put her things away in her locker and started towards the fingerprint lab. She knew if anyone could tell her anything about what was different it would be Mandy. She found Mandy at her computer.

"Oh my gosh you're back and your bump is showing. It's so cute!" Mandy said excitedly.

"Hey Mandy." Roxie said as she walked over to Mandy's desk. "So things seem different…"

"They are very different." Mandy said. "So after the whole IA thing with Ray and the Haskell case. Things went south after you guys left. So Catherine was demoted and we've got a new boss."

"A new boss?" questioned Roxie who was now super intrigued.

"Yeah he is a bit… I don't know how to describe him." Mandy said.

"He's weird." A voice came. Roxie turned to see Hodges. "The new guy is weird. Just plan weird."

"Umm ok." Roxie said. "But you're weird."

"Whatever." Hodges said as he turned and left. Roxie simply rolled her eyes.

"You'll meet him soon enough." Mandy said.

"I'm intrigued. I guess I will need to see him anyway. I've got some paperwork that the boss needs to sign." Roxie said. "So Mandy do you need any help around here until everyone gets back?"

"Yes I do. I have a ton of prints from a bar fight. It will take me forever to process them alone." Mandy said.

"Well I'm here to help. No field work means I'm available." Roxie said.

Roxie wandered back up the hall towards the locker room after spending her entire shift helping Mandy. She pulled a packet of paperwork from her locker and went to see if Nick had returned. She walked to where his office was there, but it seemed to no longer be Nick's office and there was Nick with a box of his things going into the break room. She saw him and Greg talking to a blonde girl she didn't recognize.

Roxie walked back towards the office and knocked on the doorsill. The white-haired man looked up from his desk at her as she stood there.

"Hello." The man said.

"Hi." Roxie said nervously.

"Sorry. I'm DB Russell the new supervisor and you are?" he questioned.

"Oh…I'm CSI… Stokes." Roxie said.

"Wait you guys have to be playing a prank on me. I just met a CSI Stokes at the crime scene and he was a white male, which you are not." Russell said. He was rubbing his head and royally confused.

"You might have seen my name somewhere as CSI Roxanne Jones… Sorry the name just changed to Stokes. That's my husband you met earlier, which is why I'm here. This paperwork needs to be signed so I can take it over to Human Resources. I've got to turn it in to get my new ID card with the new name." Roxie explained as she handed him her paperwork.

"Oh yeah Jones I saw you are on lab duty because you are pregnant." He said giving her a kind smile. She couldn't see why this guy was so weird he seemed pretty nice.

"Yes I am." Roxie said as she watched him sign her paperwork. "Due in December."

"Well here you go CSI Roxanne Stokes and Congrats on the baby. I'll babysit anytime." He said.

"Thanks." Roxie said. "And call me Roxie. Everyone else does…or they call me Rainbow Brite, but that is another story."

"It's alright. Apparently I've inherited the name Moonbeam." He said with a laugh. "So when did you guys get married?" he then asked.

"3 weeks ago now. We just got back from our honeymoon and tonight is our first night back to work and my first night as CSI Stokes." She said happily. It felt good to test out her new last name.

"Wait I thought he was at a training for 3 weeks?" questioned Russell.

"He was… I just tagged along and we made it into our honeymoon." Roxie explained.

"Killing two birds with one stone… I like it." Russell said.

"Well I better go and find some work to do." Roxie said. "And I might take you up on that babysitting thing." She then gave Russell a wave and left the office.

She wandered down the hall towards the break room where she saw Nick sitting at the table with boxes next to him. She realized the boxes were all things that he had in his old office. She sat down at the table next to Nick. Nick gave her a smile. Tonight had been an interesting one. He hadn't been totally informed about how much things had changed since he and Roxie were away. It really hurt him that he was kept in the dark, he considered these people his family and as family he should have been shown more courtesy.

"Hey umm… I saw you were evicted." Roxie said looking at Nick's things.

"It seems so." Nick said somberly.

"Well I got my paperwork signed. I'm going to head to Human Resources before going home. Hopefully it won't take long to get my new ID. Then I can officially be CSI Stokes." She said happily.

"Yes you will be… that is going to get confusing." Nick said as he thought about it.

"Maybe… we'll see." Roxie answered. "Are you about ready to go home?"

"No. I've still got some paperwork to finish." Nick said looking at the mess in front of him.

"Alright well I'm going to head home. I'm sleepy." Roxie said with a yawn.

"Okay love I'll see you at home." Nick said as he placed a hand on Roxie's belly. Suddenly Roxie felt something move and Nick felt something against his hand. Sophia had kicked. Nick couldn't help, but smile. He rubbed Roxie's belly hoping it would happen again, but after a moment there was nothing more.

"It's still early. There will be plenty of them to come." Roxie said giving him a smile. "See you in a bit." She said as she stood and made her way from the break room.

Roxie saw Catherine on her way out and gave her a wave. Roxie continued towards the locker room. She grabbed her purse when she heard raised voices coming from up the hall. She could tell they belonged to Catherine and Nick. As Roxie entered the hall she could see other's looking also. Suddenly her phone beeped. She looked down to find a text message: _Breakfast on me. D.B_.

Nick sat in the diner with everyone else, but he didn't say much. He wasn't sure how he felt about all of this and whoever this D.B. Russell guy was. He watched as Roxie chatted away with him. She was laughing and seemed to be having a good time; he just didn't get it. For a second he considered the job offer he was made in Hawaii. While in his training he met the director of the lab in San Diego who offered him a position on his team. He hadn't told Roxie about it only because he was afraid of her reaction. Could he really leave Vegas? Could he take Roxie away from Vegas? In this moment he considered it. This wasn't the place he left behind and now things were upside down.

Roxie turned to look at Nick. He sat on the other side of the table and he hadn't said much. She stood from her seat and walked over to where he was sitting and sat on his lap. He gave her a weak smile, but Roxie knew that so much more was going on in his head.

"Ready to go home?" she asked looking in his eyes. He nodded. Roxie stood and walked back over to her seat and picked up her jacket.

"Are my _Dos Stokes_ leaving already?" Russell asked.

"Yeah we're pretty tired and my wife here needs her rest. She's got a baby growing in there who needs her to get some rest." Nick said as he walked to Roxie and helped put her jacket on.

"Alright then I will see the two of you later." Russell said giving them a smile. Roxie smiled back at him. He was fun. She figured she would like him, but everyone else seemed a little standoffish bout the whole thing. She knew feelings were hurt, but they still had jobs to do.

Roxie lied in bed with her head on Nick's chest. She was flipping through a pregnancy magazine as she lied there. She could feel Nick rubbing her back. She looked up at him. He had been pretty quiet all day from the diner to home and even now that they had awoken from their nap together. He just didn't say much. She closed her magazine and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You know what's wrong." Nick said. He truthfully didn't feel like talking about it. He was still doing a lot of thinking.

"I know it's going to take a minute to get used to the changes, but maybe they are for the better. Things got out of hand this spring and I can see why Ecklie and the Sheriff wanted to reign it all in and bring in someone new. I know it's hard on everyone, but we've got to roll with it." Roxie said looking at him. Nick's eyes then met hers. He got what she was talking about, but it still didn't help that everything came as such a huge shock.

"What do you think of him?" Nick then asked.

"He seems great. I'm looking forward to working with him." Roxie said truthfully.

"He's just so…weird." Nick then said.

"And everyone thought I was weird too… just try and get to know him like you did with me." Roxie said.

"You want me to get him pregnant and marry him?" Nick questioned with a grin on his face. Roxie rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

"No silly. Just get to know who he is as a person. It won't hurt to give him a chance." Roxie said truthfully. "It didn't hurt with me, right?"

"No it didn't hurt." Nick said before he kissed her forehead. "You make everything make sense."

"I'm your wife, that's my job." Roxie said proudly. "And as my husband your job is to go to In N Out and get me some food."

"Of course it is." Nick said looking at her. Roxie gave her a sweet smile that he couldn't resist. He got out of bed and put his pants on and a t-shirt.

"Thank you. Sophia and I appreciate it." Roxie said.

"You two better." Nick said bending down and giving Roxie's belly a kiss and then planting a kiss on her lips. "I'll be back in a bit." He said before disappearing out of the bedroom.

Roxie wandered around the lab looking for things to help out with. She was starting to hate being stuck in the lab while most of the team was out. Today they had been out at a house where an entire family was murdered. Roxie found herself in a room filled with evidence from the crime and that mysterious blonde girl she has previous seen; whom she learned was Ecklie's daughter Morgan. She remembered Nick talking about her when he returned from LA.

"Hi anything I can help with?" Roxie asked.

"Yeah." Morgan said. "Lots of things in here to process. I'm Morgan by the way."

"Roxie." Roxie said as she got herself a pair of gloves. "How's your first day on the job been?" Roxie asked.

"Good so far… Interesting, but good." Morgan said. "Have you been here long?"

"I've been working grave for nearly a year now. I was brought on from days as extra help getting some cases closed up. Before that I worked Day shift for about 2 years." Roxie explained.

"So you know everyone pretty good?" Morgan asked.

"I know them alright." Roxie said. "Most people didn't really try to get to know me even on Days. My hair was strange colors and I dress a little funky."

"So you know that guy Nick? He's pretty cute." Morgan said. Roxie then smiled to herself. Morgan obviously didn't know that Nick was married and married to her.

"Yeah I know him pretty well." Roxie said.

"Do you think it's weird that I am crushing on a guy much older than me?" Morgan asked. "Can't help it though he is pretty cute and that butt… he has a nice butt."

"He does, but I don't think his wife will like you checking out his butt too much." Roxie said.

"Oh gosh of course he would be married." Morgan said turning red.

"Very married." Roxie said as she took off her glove and held up her hand revealing her own wedding ring.

"You're his wife?" Morgan asked with a look of shock on her face.

"Very much his wife, but it's ok. I totally understand where you are coming from. I was you nearly a year ago with a crush on that hot older CSI." Roxie said.

"Well lucky you. At least you got him." Morgan said to Roxie with a smile.

"Alright so let's see what we have here." Roxie said as she put her glove back on and started working.


	15. Bringing Up The Past

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 15: Bringing Up The Past

The waddling had started. Roxie couldn't walk anywhere without waddling there. She found herself waddling through the halls of Dessert Palm hospital, but not for herself, but for work. It was one of the few occasions that she could get out of the lab for work. Tonight she had the task of collecting an SAE kit because nobody else was available to process a sexual assault victim. She found herself in a curtained room with a young woman. The young woman looked so afraid. Roxie gave her a weak smile as she came in and opened her box.

"Hi…Chelsea. My name is Roxie... CSI Roxie Stokes. I'm here to collect any evidence from you and just give you a little check-up. It will help nail who did this to you." Roxie said kindly as she put on her gloves. "First we will start simple and I'll take photos of your injuries. Is that okay?"

"Okay." Chelsea said weakly. Roxie let out a sigh as she took her camera and started snapping photos of injuries on Chelsea.

"Alright Chelsea I'm going to take this plastic piece here and scrap under your nails for any trace from your attackers." Roxie said. Chelsea nodded and handed Roxie her hand. Roxie started working on Chelsea's nail.

"Why did this happen to me?" Chelsea asked. "I've always been a good girl. I don't party or wear skirts too short. I stay to myself…Why?" Roxie felt her heart jump into her throat. She closed her eyes for a second trying to hold her tears back. She knew exactly how Chelsea felt and it broke every part of her heart. She then folded the paper with the trace from the hand she finished and put it in her box before just sitting there and just looking at Chelsea.

"You know Chelsea… I can't tell you exactly why, but I can say there are some sick assholes in this world and they don't care. They don't care who they hurt and how they hurt them. They just want us to feel pain, but that pain eventually fades with time and healing. You'll get past this…. You will get past it and I know you will. I know because I was there. I was here in this hospital with some lady I didn't know scraping my nails and taking photos of me. You'll survive. I promise you will." Tears were now falling from Roxie's eyes. She gave Chelsea a weak smile.

"Did they catch the guy who hurt you?" Chelsea asked. Roxie simply shook her head.

"No, but as long as I am working this case I'm going to do my best to make sure we catch the guy who did this to you. I'm not supposed to make any promises, but I promise you I will do my best." Roxie said.

Roxie returned to the lab feeling broken inside. She dropped off the kit where it needed to go and she found herself wandering. Just wandering around the lab looking for her husband. She needed her husband in that single moment. She found him in the break room on the couch. Without a word she sat next to him and put her head on his chest. She started to cry and she cried hard. Nick was confused. He had no idea why Roxie was so upset. He knew her hormones were going off the rails lately. Just the day before he left a dirty plate in the sick and she cried over it. He just wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to cry. It has been a long shift and he figured that she was just burnt out.

"Shhh Rox. I'm sure whatever it is. It isn't a big deal." Nick said as she rubbed her arm trying to help her feel better about whatever it had been.

"It is a big deal." Roxie affirmed at once. "I felt like I just looked into my own eyes when I was at the hospital processing that girl. I knew her pain and I understood her questions. I was that girl once. An innocent young girl who kept to herself and one night one person decided to violate me to the extent of violation. That one night when all I was doing was coming home late from the library and …. And I was raped."

"Roxie." Nick said then pulling her up and looking into her eyes. "You've never told me any of this."

"I lock it away. I keep that part of me. That part of my life hidden away. Not really something to chat about casually. The thing is I have collected plenty of SAE kits in my time as a CSI, but my past never really hit me until tonight. Maybe it's the pregnancy or maybe tonight was the night I was going to face it again, but it hurts." Roxie said looking at him.

"Oh Rox…sweetie. I understand. We see a lot on this job and sometimes we see it so much we get desensitized to it until that one case slaps us in the face and takes us back to places we'd rather forget. It happens to the best of us babe." Nick said. His mind went back to that case that took him back. The case that took him back to being a little boy who was molested by his babysitter. He could feel Roxie's pain and he knew where she was coming from.

"I'm tired and it's time to go home. Can we go?" Roxie asked looking at him.

"We can definitely go." Nick said as she stood and pulled up his pregnant wife. He put his hand on her belly. He felt Sophia kick his hand. "Yeah Sophia we are going home." Then Nick's cell phone beeped. He looked down at it and groaned. "Well I'm not going home. I've got a 419 off of Fremont Street. I guess I'll see you later."

Roxie frowned. This really wasn't the morning she wanted to go home alone. She let out a sigh. She stood on the tips of her toes and gave Nick a quick kiss. She didn't know when she was going to see him because his shift had obviously become a double. She watched him leave. If she wasn't pregnant she would have a very strong drink, but alas she had baby Sophia to think of. She slowly made her way to the locker room to get her things.

The house was quite when she arrived at home. She made her way through the dark to the couch and just sat there. She starred off into space just thinking. She thought back to that night when she was 19 and a student at WLVU. It was the week of Midterms and she stayed must later than she wanted to at the library, but she was determined to ace her biology midterm. She decided to take a shortcut to her dorm room and she was grabbed. She remembered trying to fight her attacker off of her. She remembered the pain, not just physical, but emotional that she felt in those moments. Though that single moment in time is what gave her the desire to be a CSI. From that moment she wanted to solve crimes like the one that had been committed against her and she wanted to use science to do it. Could that have been fate? She would have never met Nick if from that even she hadn't decided to be a CSI. Suddenly she felt a giant kick from within. She put her hand on her belly.

"Oh Sophia." Roxie said as she held her belly and lied down on the couch. She slowly drifted to sleep.

Nick walked into the alley where his crime scene was. Sara was already there along with Dave. He walked up to where Dave was kneeled. There was the body of what appeared to be a young woman. He sat his kit down and sighed. This never seemed to get easier even though he pretended that it did.

"What do we have here Super Dave?" Nick asked.

"Female. She has a Dessert Palm hospital bracelet. She was hospitalized or in the ER recently. The named on the bracelet is Chelsea Matthews." Dave said as he lifted her arm. Nick took his camera and took a picture of the bracelet.

"Well I processed the alley. Nothing special." Sara said as she approached Nick.

"Well if you guys are ok I'm going to get this body out of here." Dave said.

"Yeah take her away." Nick said.

"I think I will head to the hospital to see if we can get anything from them about her." Sara said.

"Yeah I will do a double check of the alley and head back to the lab." Nick said as he looked down at the body. "This never gets easier." He then said with a sigh.

"Not really." Sara commented as she placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment before she walked away.

Nick stood over the lighted table examining the clothes that his vic was wearing. She was obviously a college student as she was wearing a WLVU hoodie and sweatpants. He took some fibers from her sweatshirt and put them in an evidence jar. Sara then came in the room with a folder in her hand.

"The hospital gave me stuff and DNA just got back to me. Chelsea Matthews was raped last night. She went into the ER hysterical. A CSI was sent to process her. The nurse didn't know the CSI's name, but said it was a young pregnant, black girl with short hair. Obviously it was Roxie and I pulled the SAE kit. It was Roxie." Sara explained.

"Wait this is the girl." Nick then said. "Roxie was all upset about a girl she had to process at the hospital. Roxie was a wreck right before I got this call. She said something the girl said and questions the girl asked triggered something. She was hysterical."

"Well…" Sara started as she opened the folder. "The seaman found in Chelsea Matthews was a match to about 8 open cases all rapes taking place on or around the campus of WLVU including one from 9 years ago." Sara said.

"What's special about this case from 9 years ago?" Nick questioned.

"The victim age 19 was raped one evening when she was taking shortcut from the library to her dorm. The vics name was… Roxanne Jones." Sara said looking at Nick who stood there in shock.

"Oh God Roxie." Nick said shaking his head. "I need to call her."

Roxie awoke to the sound of her cell phone. It was still in her pocket. She groaned as she reached into her pocket to pull it out. She pulled it out and answered it without looking at the screen.

"Stokes." She said answering the call.

"Hey Rox it's me." Came Nick's voice.

"Hey babe. Are you coming home soon?" Roxie asked with a yawn.

"No, but we need you to come into the lab. It's about the girl you processed." Nick said. Roxie then sat up. "We got a DNA hit and we want to know more about what she said to you."

"Yeah…ok… I'll be right there." Roxie said as she stood. She went in the bathroom and quickly ran water over her face. She grabbed her jacket and left out of the house to the lab.

Nick waited patiently for Roxie. He was afraid of how she would take things especially with how upset she had been with the whole thing when she'd come from the hospital. He hated to see his wife upset. It broke every bit of his heart to see her cry, but he knew that he needed to talk to her about this. They needed to know more about what happened to her. He looked up when he saw Roxie come in. She walked into the room and saw the photos on the wall. She saw the crime scene photos of Chelsea Matthews' dead body in an alley.

"She's dead?" Roxie instantly asked.

"Yeah she was the 419 I was called to." Nick said somberly. "I'm sorry."

"The thing is the kit you took form her. It stirred up a lot." Sara said. Roxie hadn't even noticed Sara in the room.

"What kind of stuff?" Roxie then asked.

"Rox… I know you most likely don't want to talk about it, but we need information on your attack." Nick said as he walked to her. He took her hand into his.

"Why?" Roxie asked.

"Because the same person who attacked you is the same person who attacked Chelsea and 7 other girls over the years. Plus there could be others who haven't reported it. Finding her attacker, finds yours." Sara said looking at Roxie who simply nodded.

"Umm… I studied late at the library. It was about 11pm when I left. I knew the best way to my dorm was to take the main pathway, but I was so tired and that adds an extra 10 minutes to the walk. I decided to take a shortcut that takes you through a small wooded area. It's quick and easy. I'd done it a lot of times. I was walking and I was grabbed from behind. It was so quick. I remember being shoved to the ground pretty hard and I hit my head. I was dizzy and disoriented. My attacker ripped my shirt open; it was one of my favorite shirts at the time. He also tore my tights and violently ripped my underwear off. I remember his hand over my mouth when I tried to scream. He did what he did and then just walked away. He simply just left me there. I called my mom. I knew she was on patrol that night. She came to the school and got me and took me to the hospital." Roxie explained. She felt tears falling down her face. It had been 9 years since she had told the entire story out loud.

"Rainbow." Nick said as she pulled her into his arms. He just stood there holding her. He didn't know what to think.

"You know. I always thought Catherine looked familiar to me, but I figured I'd seen her around with my mom being a cop and all. I'd banished that night from my mind as best I could and now that I think about it. I could see every detail clearly. It was Catherine who processed me at the hospital that night." Roxie said.

"Babe…" Nick started. "When you came in earlier you said something about Chelsea asking questions and talking. What did she say?"

"She wanted to know why it happened to her. She said she wasn't a party girl and didn't wear short skirts. She didn't know why she would be a target." Roxie said. "She reminded me a lot of me when I was 19."

"Hey we got all those case files you guys asked for." Greg's voice came. He walked into the room carrying a few boxes with Morgan right behind him carrying more.

They spend an hour going over all the connected rape cases. Roxie had no idea how she was functioning. She knew the only thing that was keeping her sane was knowing that if they caught this guy then justice would be served not just for these other women, but for her too.

"It seems this guys MO is the same. Always college age girls on or around the campus and they are always the so-called good girls. They all had great grades, didn't party, a few were very conservative. He targets Good Girls, but all of his victims are alive and well except Chelsea Matthews his latest victim." Morgan said as she sat a folder down.

"So this _Good Girl Rapist_ has escalated to murder then?" Sara questioned.

"I don't know, but this son of a bitch is going to get caught and brought down." Nick said with a growl. Roxie put a hand on his arm. She smiled at him. She knew he was upset and she just wanted to calm him. She knew giving the details of her rape was hard for him to hear.

"I'm going to get a little air." Roxie said as she stood.

"Do you want me to come with?" Nick asked her.

"No. I'm good." She said as she left the room.

She walked outside into the morning air. It felt good to be alone for just a moment. This had been one hell of a shift. Having to face all of this and being 5 and a half months pregnant didn't help anything. She put her hand on her belly and just stood there. She took a deep breath.

"Nice morning." A familiar voice said. She turned to see Russell.

"Yeah it is." Roxie commented.

"I heard about the case. Are you up for working it?" Russell asked.

"For now…yeah… I can't talk for later." Roxie said truthfully.

"I think you can do it, but I might have to remove Nick. I can see it getting to him and it being emotional for him. He's got a bit of a temper and I don't want him to explode under the pressure." Russell said.

"For now I think he will be ok, but I agree. It wouldn't be nice for him to explode." Roxie said.

"My wife wants to know if you and your other half would like to come for dinner. She wants to meet my new favorite CSI and her ok CSI husband. My _Dos Stokes_." Russell said. Roxie laughed.

"Yeah I'm sure we could make it by." Roxie said.

"I'll let her know." Russell said as he turned to go back inside, but then he paused and turned back to Roxie. "If you need anything. Even if you just want to talk. You know where to find me… alright Lady Stokes." He said. To keep the confusion down with having two Stokes in the lab, recently Russell had taken to calling Roxie, Lady Stokes.

"Thanks." Roxie said. "I appreciate that."

A/N: Thought I would add something to the storyline. Also guys remember if you want some fun insight into my stories and my writing plus a better way to contact and interact with me you can go to my facebook. It is Facebook /TheMoonyAngel7 - Remember to 'Like' the page for all the great updates.


	16. Dreaming In Color

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 16: Dreaming In Color

This was just not the week for Roxie. Working this case had taken an emotional toll on her, but she was determined to fight on. She was determined to not just find justice for herself, but the other girls who had been victims. The main thing that kept her going to was Sophia. Everyday she was closer to meeting her baby girl and that took away all the pain and sadness in her world.

It was nice to have a night off. Both Roxie and Nick needed it. Roxie sat on the couch in Nick's arms with a book in her hand. She closed her book and looked up at him as he watched the TV. She smiled at him as he sat there starring off. She was sure he wasn't really even paying attention to the show, but thinking. He had this look in his eyes when he was thinking and that look was present.

"What are you thinking about?" Roxie asked. Nick then snapped out of his trance and looked down at his wife.

"Everything." He said with a sigh.

"Elaborate on _everything_ …" Roxie said.

"The case, us, life, becoming parents… a bit of everything." He said as he ran his fingers through her short hair. "Just your case and things that happened in my life makes me scared for Sophia. What we see everyday on my job makes me scared for Sophia."

"What happened in your life?" Roxie then questioned. She sat up and looked at him. She was concerned.

Nick sighed. He'd only ever spoken about it twice in his life. I remembered telling his mom and that day long ago when he confided in Catherine. It was a pain like Roxie's that he would rather put in the back of his mind and forget. He looked into Roxie's eyes. He could see the pleading in her eyes and knew that he could tell her. He needed to confide in her.

"When I was 9…" he started. Roxie's eyes widened with fear. She grabbed his hand and held it to her heart. "My parents got a last minute baby-sitter. The baby-sitter…she did things to me that should not be done to a kid. I just remember sitting in my dark room waiting for my mom to come home."

"Sweetie." Roxie said as she at unmoving still holding his hand to her chest. "I don't know what to say."

"Neither do it." He said giving Roxie a weak smile. "I'm glad I could tell you."

"You can tell me anything." Roxie said as a single tear fell from her eye.

"I'm just afraid of something like that happening to Sophia…. Or something like what happened to you. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for allowing Sophia to go through that kind or torment." Nick said as he placed a hand on Roxie's large belly. He rubbed her belly. Roxie looked at him to see tears falling from his eyes as he sat in silence just rubbing her belly.

"I think about it too and the world Sophia will face as a girl and a woman, but I try and look in the positive. There is a lot of good in the world despite all the bad we see on a daily basis. I guess I see the world how it could be. It might not be wise, but I prefer dreaming in color." Roxie explained. Nick smiled at her. He understood her and he understood why she thought the say she did. It was too painful, stressful, and daunting to look at the future in a grim light when there could be and was so much good to come. He pulled Roxie closer and planted a kiss on her lips. Roxie smiled against his lips. She was so happy to have him.

"We should get going if we will be on time for dinner at Russell's." Nick then said.

"Yeah let me get my jacket and the bottle of wine I bought." Roxie said as she stood and walked to the closet to grab a jacket. Nick came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"You know I love you." He said.

"I do and I love you too." Roxie said as she turned to him and smiled. It was like they were exactly made for each other.

Walking up to the front door of the house Roxie allowed Nick to ring the doorbell. The door opened and they were greeted by a woman with long brown hair who gave them a kind smile.

"Roxie and Nick?" she questioned.

"Yes." Roxie said.

"Hi I'm Barbara." The woman said happily. "It is so nice to meet both of you."

"Likewise Mrs. Russell." Nick said.

"Just call be Barbara." She said as she moved so they could enter the house.

"They're here. My _Dos Stokes_." Russell said as he walked into the living room.

"I've got this for you guys." Roxie said as she handed Barbara the bottle of wine she had bought. "You should have seen the cashier's face when I bought it this afternoon. I am thinking she assumes I am a horrible parent."

"Come on in here you guys." Russell said as he led the way into a sitting room. Roxie sat on a couch and Nick sat next to her.

"I am so excited to meet you guys. DB is always talking about his _Dos Stokes_. You seem like such a sweet couple." Barbara said.

"They are the power couple of the lab." Russell said. Roxie laughed.

"And Roxie I swear you have become one of our children. He talks about you like you are one of them." Barbara said looking at Roxie.

"Aww thanks." Roxie said sweetly.

"She should have been." Russell said happily. Roxie felt so comfortable with them. It was like they were her family. She felt more confortable with them than she did Nick's family for sure.

"So a baby on the way?" questioned Barbara.

"Oh yeah. Getting very close." Nick said holding Roxie's hand.

"He's the nervous one." Russell noted looking at Nick.

"Out of my mind nervous." Nick said.

"That's normal, but you will fall right into your role once the baby arrives." Barbara said.

"I hope so." Roxie said.

"So have you guys figured out childcare and such once Roxie has to go back to work?" Barbara questioned.

"Not yet. That is the one thing that freaks me out. I don't know if I will be able to continue on the night shift. I mean we can't both work nights with a baby at home." Roxie said truthfully. That single thought hat been haunting her a lot lately.

"Well I know you just met me and all, but I'm home alone all night since Russell is working and I wouldn't mind watching your little one. Maybe it is my empty nest syndrome getting to me, but I'd love to have a baby around." Barbara said sweetly.

"We can definitely discuss it." Roxie said happily. She turned to Nick. He looked unsure, but she felt like this was a great option and wasn't going to shut it down right away. Suddenly there was a beeping coming from another room. Nick wasn't sure about that offer. He didn't really know these people and after his conversation earlier in the night with Roxie he just wasn't sure about leaving Sophia with anyone else except one of them. He also knew that Roxie wanted to return to work and they would need someone to watch Sophia at some point if they were to both work.

"That's dinner. We can get going into the dining room." Barbara said.

Dinner had been amazing. Roxie was so happy they'd decided to have dinner with them that night. She enjoyed talking with Barbara and was pretty sure she would be their best childcare option when it was time to go back to work, but she had months before that decision needed to be made.

"Well we better get going. The baby shower is tomorrow." Nick said as he held onto Roxie's hand.

"Ugh I forgot about that." Roxie said. Catherine was throwing them a baby shower at her house and the whole lab was invited. Nick only agreed to come if he could have the game playing since it was a Sunday after all and that meant football all day long.

"Well we will be there." Barbara said.

"See you then." Nick said. Roxie could tell that the Russell family had grown on him over dinner. Maybe it was the amazing Peach Cobbler that Barbara had made.

Roxie sat in a chair wearing a stripped black and white dress with her belly sticking out proudly. The chair had been decorated in pink bows just for her to sit in. Catherine walked to her with a cup of punch. Roxie accepted with a kind smile. She hadn't planned on having a baby shower, but Catherine insisted on throwing one for her. It had been very nice of her to do so and Roxie appreciated it.

"So the men are all surrounding the TV." Roxie said with a laugh as she looked over to the other room.

"Well not all of them." Henry said as he sat down with a plate of food.

"You are always invited to hang with us ladies, Henry." Catherine said.

"Yeah sports aren't really my thing." Henry said with a cringe. Roxie giggled.

"Is this really every Sunday at your house?" Sara asked Roxie.

"Since football season started… yes." Roxie said. "While he watches the game I've been doing projects in Sophia's room."

"I am so excited for you to pop this baby out." Catherine said happily.

"I can't either. I am over being pregnant." Roxie said as she held her large belly.

Roxie waddled through the halls of the lab. Her back and feet were killing her and she just didn't have any patience tonight. Luckily the lab was relatively quiet. All the CSIs except her were out in cases. Roxie received a text message from Sara asking about some trace she'd sent to Hodges earlier in the evening. Roxie waddled down to the Trace lab. She spotted Hodges just being Hodges. She rolled her eyes and cleared her throat; he turned to her.

"Lady Stokes." Hodges said. The nickname had started to pick up around the entire lab. At least it wasn't Rainbow Brite. She was very glad for that one.

"Hey I'm here for Sara's results." Roxie said.

"Yeah they aren't up yet, but it should be a few more minutes." Hodges said.

Suddenly Roxie felt a cramp and heard what sounded like a pop. Hodges looked at her. It was obvious he had heard the popping noise also. At once Roxie felt wetness and fluid running down her legs. Her eyes widened as she stood there. She looked down and there was a puddle forming around her feet and liquid dripping from her.

"Good God what is that?" Hodges asked backing away.

"My water just broke." Roxie said calmly. She was doing her best to stay as calm as possible even though in the moment she wanted to scream. "Hodges listen to me. I need you to call Nick and tell him to get to the hospital. Then call for an ambulance to take me to Dessert Palm. Tell them I am 38 week and 4 days pregnant and my water has ruptured. I am having small contractions also. I've been timing them all day and at last check they were 7 minutes apart."

"What you came to work having contractions?" Hodges questioned.

"Stop asking me questions and follow my instructions. I'm going to my locker to get my things. I will then go to reception and wait for the ambulance." Roxie said sternly looking in his eyes. He simply nodded. Roxie then started to shuffle her way out of the room holding her dress to make sure not to spill much more amniotic fluid on the floor.

Nick's heart was beating fast. He couldn't believe that today was the day. He couldn't believe that he wasn't there when things started. He ran through the halls of the hospital. He reached Labor and Delivery and went straight to the receptionist's desk. He was out of breath when he reached her.

"Hi… my wife should be here… Roxanne Stokes." He said between breaths.

"Yes sir she is in room 3A." The receptionist said sweetly to him. He hurried down the hall and found her room. He walked in to find Mandy sitting in the room with Roxie who was bouncing on an exercise ball and breathing deeply.

"Rainbow." He said at once looking at his wife who just simply gave him a smile. "Thanks for staying with her Mandy."

"No problem." Mandy said as she stood and grabbed her things. "I can't wait to see the baby." Mandy gave both of them a smile before she left the room.

"So your water broke in the trace lab?" Nick questioned as he took off his coat and sat down on the chair closet to Roxie who continued to bounce on the ball.

"Yep right there in front of Hodges. The look on his face was everything." Roxie said with a small laugh. She then grabbed her belly and started to breathe slowly in and out. She closed her eyes for a second waiting for the pain to end as it always did. "Sorry contraction."

"Tell me everything." Nick said as she scooted his chair to her and started to rub her back.

"When I got here I was 3 centimeters and my contractions about 7 minutes apart, but now we are at about 4 minutes apart and getting closer." She said looking at him. She smiled. They were so close to meeting their little girl. "You should call your parents."

"I should." He then said as he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed their number and put it on speakerphone. The phone rang a few times.

"Is the baby on the way?" suddenly came Jillian's voice.

"Umm no Hello… Good Morning son." Nick said with a laugh.

"It is 6am. You don't call us at 6am." Jillian said.

"True." Nick then said. "Yes she's in labor. Last check she was 3 centimeters and contractions at 4 minutes apart."

"Bill! Bill! Wake up. Roxie is in labor." Jillian said happily. "How is she?"

"I'm fine Jillian." Roxie said happily until a contraction hit her. She took a moment to breathe. She felt Nick's hand on her back rubbing it.

"You've got this Rox." He said to her.

"Just remember to breathe. Always breathe. The pain will end." Jillian said.

"Alright mom. I will keep you updated." Nick said.

"Alright dear. We love you both and can't wait for baby Sophia to be here." Jillian said.

"Talk to you later." Nick said before ending the call. As soon as he ended the call the door opened. It was Roxie's doctor.

"Alright Mrs. Stokes I'm going to check you." The doctor said. Roxie slowly stood from the ball slowly and made her way to the bed. She got onto the bed and put her knees up. The doctor reached up, which was extremely uncomfortable for Roxie. She closed her eyes to ignore the pain as best she could. "WOW you are already a 6." The doctor took off her glove and then looked at the machine that had been monitoring Roxie. "And contractions at 2 minutes apart. You will be having a baby soon."

Roxie felt something inside in that moment. She was really going to be a mother. She was going to be responsible for the life of a small person. This was all so real. Nick looked at Roxie; his heart was swelling. His wife was going to be giving birth to his child in just a matter of hours. He was going to be a father. He'd known for months, but at this point everything about it was real. He held Roxie's hand in his own.

The hours passed slowly, but in the moment it was like they had passed quickly. It was time. Any minute now their baby girl would be born. She was going to take her first breath right there in front of them. Nick needed air. Every emotion you could muster up was filling his body. He left the room and walked into the waiting room. Nearly the entire lab was there all waiting for Sophia to make her entrance.

"How are you hanging in there?" Catherine asked him.

"I have no idea." Nick then said looking at all of them. He loved seeing all their faces looking at him. He suddenly felt much better. All of them had given him strength. "Just needed a second, but I've got to get back in there." He said.

Roxie was standing at the wall leaning against it. Contractions were ripping through her body, but she was handling it so well. A nurse stood with her coaching her through her breathing. Nick could see tears coming from Roxie's eyes.

"I WANT DRUGS!" Roxie shouted.

"Roxanne, its too late for that." The nurse said calmly. Roxie opened her eyes. Her eyes met Nick's.

"Nick… please tell them to get my FUCKING DRUGS!" Roxie screamed out.

"Rainbow." Nick said as he walked to her. He put his arms around her and pulled her to him. "You cannot have the drugs. This baby is coming." Roxie just started to cry. The door opened and the doctor walked inside with a couple more nurses.

"I heard cursing so I know it's time." The doctor said with a smile on her face.

Roxie sat up on the bed with her legs up. The doctor was sitting at the end of the bed. Roxie gripped onto Nick's hand. Her eyes were shut tightly. She then opened them and looked into Nick's eyes. He gave her a weak smile. He only hoped her pain would end soon.

"Alright Roxie… you are going to push…now." The doctor said. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and breathe." The doctor said. Roxie took a breath. This was the most difficult thing she had ever done. "Alright we are going to push again go…" and the counting started. A strange burning sensation seemed to take over Roxie's body.

"Oh goodness." Roxie breathed as she gripped tightly onto Nick's hand and suddenly out of the blue the pain was gone and she heard a faint cry.

"Congrats. It is a girl!" the doctor said happily. Suddenly the baby was thrust into Roxie's arms. While Roxie held the baby she just looked at her tiny face, her tiny hands, and her tiny feet. She couldn't believe it. She turned to Nick who had tears in his eyes.

"She's perfect." He whispered through his tears. This small little thing was his daughter. He couldn't describe the sensation that took over his entire body. It was like all of the love in his heart was surrounding her. He suddenly felt the overwhelming need to protect her at all costs.

"Our Sophia." Roxie said.

Nick nearly sprinted into the waiting room. All eyes were on him. He didn't think he had grinned that that hard in his life. He was filled with so much love and joy he didn't know how to contain it.

"She's Here!" he said happily. "Sophia Gabrielle Stokes born at 10:34am weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces and 21 inches long. She is absolutely perfect... I'm a dad ya'll!"


	17. Life As A Family

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 17: Life As a Family

Little fingers and little toes; Roxie just touched them gently. The little baby they belonged to just squirmed. She smiled down at her daughter. It had been entirely appropriate that Roxie and Nick named their daughter Sophia as Baby Sophia had been born on the 1st of December, the same day that Roxie's mother Sophia had passed away.

Three weeks had now passed since Sophia was born. For the first week Nick had taken time off, staying home with Roxie and Sophia, but alas he had to return to work, but Roxie now had the extra help in Jillian. Nick's parents had arrived to spend Christmas with the new family and to meet their newest grandchild. Roxie just looked down at her sleeping daughter who looked so much like Nick. Sophia's skin was a fair shade of beige and her hair a dark chocolate brown. Roxie felt a tear slide down her face. In quiet moments like this it was hard to not cry because everything was so perfect and so peaceful. She couldn't imagine that one day she would go back to work and leave her perfect baby behind. She heard her bedroom door open. She looked up to see Nick who had come home from work.

"Hey." He whispered as he walked over to her and kissed her quickly before kissing Sophia on the top of her head.

"Didn't get too much sleep tonight. Sophia just wanted to eat all night. She just fell asleep." Roxie said in a whispering voice to Nick. He frowned. Roxie looked exhausted and he knew she was, but being Roxie she wasn't going to admit it.

"Do you want me to take over for a bit?" Nick asked Roxie. He could see her face light up. He knew she needed some moments to herself.

"I really just want a shower." Roxie said truthfully.

Getting the time to take a shower had been hard to come by. Being a mother was more difficult that Roxie could imagine. It made her appreciate her mom more than she had. Roxie had Nick and her mom had no one. Roxie watched as Nick took off his shoes and got onto their bed. He reached his arms out to take Sophia from her. Slowly working together she transferred a sleeping Sophia into Nick's arms. He lied there with tiny Sophia on his chest. Roxie smiled at the sight.

"When did my mom leave last night?" Nick asked Roxie as she stood at the dresser grabbing her some clean clothes.

"About 10:30 last night." Roxie answered. "She says she will be back this morning. Barbara also came by with food last night." The Russell family had really become a second family for Roxie. Barbara had been amazing. Once Sophia was born she brought over a ton of homemade food for them and every few days would bring a little something. It helped Roxie out tremendously.

"More peach cobbler?" questioned Nick who had been won over completely by the peach cobbler.

"I think there was a little." Roxie said. She then stopped talking as Sophia squirmed a bit. "I'll shower quickly." She said before disappearing into the bathroom.

The feeling of the warm water running over her body felt nice. She couldn't really remember the last time she'd actually gotten to enjoy a shower. She smiled to herself as she stood under the warm water. She had a beautiful little family. Everything was great and she didn't want to change anything except maybe get a little more sleep. Getting out of the shower she put in her clean clothes. She could hear what she thought was Nick's voice. She walked from the bathroom and she was sure it was his voice now.

"Roxie!" he called out. He sounded panicked. She followed the sound of his panic and found him in Sophia's room standing over the changing table. Sophia was crying. She looked at Nick who had his shirt pulled over his nose. "I don't know what to do. It smells so bad."

Roxie burst into laughter. In that moment she wished she had her camera. Nick looked at her. He couldn't figure out what was so funny because this was very serious. Every time Roxie looked at him she would laugh. She walked to the changing table and cleaned up what Nick failed to do so. She then closed the clean diaper around baby Sophia and picked her up into her arms cuddling the baby girl who slowly stopped crying.

"You can process even the most disgusting and smelly crime scenes, but you can't manage to change a poopy diaper." Roxie said looking at him and laughing.

"It's not funny." Nick said.

"It is funny. It's hilarious. I think this is why God made moms." Roxie said as she rocked Sophia in her arms. She looked down at Sophia whose little eyes started to close. "Let me get her down and maybe we can manage a little breakfast."

Nick watched his parents coo over Sophia. This had been the scene at their house ever since his parents had arrived in Vegas. You would think that Sophia was their one and only grandchild by the way they showered her with love. He stood from the couch and walked down the hall into the bedroom where he found Roxie fast asleep. He hated that he had to leave to work every night and leave Roxie alone with Sophia who hadn't quite figured out that nights were normally for sleeping especially when home alone with mom. He walked over to his wife and pulled the blanket over her exposed shoulders. Roxie stirred and opened her eyes. She looked to see Nick looking down at her. She smiled up at him.

"Hey." She said as she slowly sat up in bed.

"Hey." Nick said as he sat in bed with her.

"Is Sophia sleeping?" Roxie asked as she stretched.

"No just hanging with her grandparents getting all the attention." Nick said as he pulled her into his arms. Roxie looked at him and smiled. It was nice to have a moment for just the two of them. Nick pressed his lips to hers. Roxie melted into his arms. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Nick's hand slowly inches up her shirt.

"No wait." Roxie then said as she broke away out of breath "We can't… not yet. We still have 3 more weeks."

Nick groaned. "I'm dying here." He said as he looked at her. It had been months since they last had sex. During the end of the pregnancy Roxie was just too uncomfortable to have sex and managing it around a giant belly was awkward for both of them. Now they were in the 6 weeks after birth and only halfway through it.

"I promise it will be worth it when it's time. I swear it." Roxie said before kissing his lips. "Believe me I want it too."

"My mom was going to make dinner." Nick then said as he held Roxie who laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm going to hate to see your parents go. They've been so helpful." Roxie said. She had been joying all the extra help, but she knew eventually she was going to have to get used to life with just her and Sophia when Nick wasn't around at least until she went back to work in the next month.

Life seemed to pass by so quickly especially with a sweet baby. Roxie had awoken at 5am like always to feed Sophia who was getting so big now at 2 months old. She was even starting to smile at the faces of Nick and Roxie. It was early and Roxie had just finished feeding Sophia when her cell phone rang. She looked at the phone and saw it was Barbara.

"Hey Barbara." Roxie said as she answered the phone.

"I'm sorry to be calling you this early. I just called D.B. and Jim Brass answered his phone. Apparently D.B. is missing or something. I don't know, but I'm freaking out. Do you know anything?" Barbara seemed frantic.

"I don't know anything, but I can call Nick." Roxie said.

"Can you please?" she asked. "I don't know what to think. Jim wouldn't give me too much information."

"Yeah let me call him." Roxie said before she ended the call. She then dialed Nick's number and waited for him to answer.

Nick was finishing up processing where they had found Russell's truck with the backseat filled with blood. Everyone was worried and with both Russell and Catherine missing he was in charge. There were so many thoughts, but he know the people they were up against had a lot of money and many resources. He then heard his phone ringing. He saw it was Roxie and instantly became worried.

"Roxie." He said at once. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong with me. Barbara just called me. She said something about Russell missing. She was pretty frantic." Roxie explained.

"Yeah I can't get into it now." Nick said at once. The team had decided that all communication would be face to face and he wasn't up for giving any details over the phone even to Roxie.

"Well what's going on? Is it serious?" Roxie asked.

"Rainbow, listen to me. We've got this under control, but I can't say anything. Just know I'm ok and I will try and let you know as soon as I can. Maybe you can go give Barbara some company. I will talk to you later." He then said trying to remain as calm as possible.

"Umm… ok… yeah talk to you later. I love you." Roxie said.

"I love you too." He said before he ended the call.

Roxie packed up Sophia's diaper bag and loaded Sophia into the car. They were off for a little fieldtrip. Roxie hadn't seen Nick in over 48 hours due to work and she felt like it was time for a visit. She'd at least heard from Nick and learned that Russell and Catherine were both ok. Roxie had avoided taking Sophia in for a visit to the lab until she had gotten her first vaccinations. Roxie loaded the baby into her stroller when they reached the Police Station and rolled her in. As soon as they came in the reception staff was going crazy over the sweet baby girl who was just confused with all the new faces. Roxie then continued up the hall looking around for everyone. She then found everyone all huddled in Russell's office. She saw Nick glace into the hallway and she could tell he had been crying. She was very confused. She walked into the office and head's turned her way. Everyone looked so emotional.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything." Roxie said.

"No, no. We're finished." Russell said. "Looks like we've got a visitor."

"Yeah we were up early like always so I thought I'd bring her by. Plus we haven't seen dad in 2 days. I wanted to make sure he was still alive." Roxie said with a small laugh.

"I'm here and alive." Nick said as he walked over to his wife. It had been a hell of a 2 days in the lab and just now he and the rest of the team had learned that Catherine was leaving them. He'd known her and worked with her for most of his career. It was a hard pill to swallow that she would be leaving, but he knew she was happy with her decision.

"Come here my little lady." He said as he unstrapped Sophia from the stroller and picked her up. Sophia simply smiled at him.

"So what did I miss?" Roxie asked looking around the room at everyone. They were all so somber.

"Hey Roxie. Come with me for a sec." Catherine said. Roxie simply nodded and followed Catherine to her office. Catherine closed the door behind them. "I was just telling everyone that I've made the decision to leave. I was offered a job with the FBI."

"Oh my gosh that's amazing!" Roxie said happily. She was truly happy for Catherine.

"Yeah… it's hard, but I think leaving is the right choice. Though I want you to do something for me." Catherine said.

"Yeah sure." Roxie answered.

"I want you to take care of Nicky. He's been like a little brother to me here and I know it hit him pretty hard when I made my announcement." Catherine said.

"You know I will." Roxie said.

"I know you will. You are the best thing to have happened to him." Catherine said happily. Roxie smiled to herself. She felt like it was the other way around and he was the best thing to have happened to her.

Roxie strolled up the hall looking for Nick and Sophia. She found Sophia first being cooed over by Morgan and Greg. She smiled at the two of them playing with her small baby. They looked like the perfect couple. She then found Nick coming out of Russell's office. Nick spotted his wife and smiled at her. She looked exhausted, but she was still just as beautiful. He made his way to her and pulled her to him.

"Are you off tonight?" Roxie asked looking up at him.

"I've been working over 48 hours. I better be off tonight." Nick said.

"Good." Roxie said looking into his eyes. "Barbara said she would watch Sophia tonight. We are doing a dry run to see how things will go when I come back to work next week. I figured we could finally…" Roxie trailed off.

"I like that plan." Nick said grinning down at her.

"Well I'm going to head home." Roxie said.

"I'll be there soon." Nick said to his wife.

Roxie walked into the bedroom where Nick was lying on the bed. Sophia was with Barbara for the night and this was the first night that Roxie and Nick were alone since Sophia was born. It has been 8 weeks since Sophia was born and even though they were allowed to be physical with one another at 6 weeks it had been impossible. Roxie cleared her throat and Nick looked over to her. She stood there wearing an open silk robe with cream-colored lacy underwear on. Roxie didn't feel 100 percent confidant in her body since giving birth, but she tried her best to ignore those feelings of not being sexy.

"Hey." She said softly as she walked over to him.

"Hey you." He said as he put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. He pulled her onto the bed. "You look amazing."

"This is weird." Roxie then said.

"What's so weird?" Nick asked as he started to kiss her neck.

"I feel like I'm losing my virginity or something." Roxie said with a chuckle.

"It's been awhile." Nick then said. He pulled himself on top of her and placed a kiss on her lips. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle." Roxie simply nodded.

Nick slipped Roxie's robe from her shoulders and looked down at her in her lace bra and panties. She knew he liked lace and she looked absolutely sexy in lace. He ran his hand down her body from her shoulder to her waist. Roxie bit her lip nervously. She was afraid of how it would feel.

"It's going to be ok." Nick whispered down to her.

"Are you sure?" Roxie asked nervously.

"I'm sure it'll be ok." Nick said softly before kissing her.

Roxie loved the feeling of him kissing her. His tongue slipped into her mouth. Roxie slipped his pajama pants off of him. She could feel him smiling with his lips on hers. Nick broke the kiss and reached down to the elastic or Roxie's lace panties. He slowly pulled them down and ran his hands down her legs. Nick returned above her and looked down at her Roxie simply nodded. Nick used his hand and spread her legs. Roxie's breathing had become quick.

"Shh… it's ok my Rainbow." Nick said to her.

He placed his lips on her neck and kissed down to her collarbone and left a trail of kisses along her collarbone. Roxie moaned. Nick then entered her slowly. Roxie inhaled and grabbed at his arms. Nick's eyes met hers. He started to move slowly. As he moved Roxie relaxed her body. It wasn't as bad as she had expected. She was enjoying it. Nick then pressed his lips to hers. He and his wife were once again making love. He ran his fingers through her hair that had now grown much longer.

"Oh yes…" Roxie groaned out. It had been too long. They both had missed this. Roxie gripped at Nick's shoulders as his speed increased. Her breathing was hard and ragged. Both of them were sweating. "Oh Nick!" Roxie said loudly as her entire body went stiff. She then went limp under him and his body went limp as well.

The couple lied in bed. It was amazing to have such a quiet night without a baby crying. Nick held Roxie close to him. He ran his hand over bare back. Roxie placed a kiss on his chest. Roxie looked up at Nick.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too my Rainbow." Nick said down to her before he quickly kissed her gently.

A/N: A few more chapters left. Going to end this story at the premiere episode of season 13.


	18. Just for Awhile

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 18: Just for Awhile

Roxie was very pleased to be returning to work. She and Nick left Sophia with Barbara before heading to the lab. Roxie was nervous and she didn't quite understand why. She had been looking forward to working again, but at the same time she knew she would miss being with Sophia all the time. Roxie sat in the car as Nick drove. She watched as the rain hit against the windows. She took a deep breath. She then felt a hand on hers. She turned and looked at Nick who simply gave her a smile. He watched his wife for a second. He knew that her heart was left with Sophia. The two of them arrived in the parking lot of the Police Department. Roxie got out of the car pulling her hood on. Nick came around the car and laced his fingers with hers. She gave him a smile before they walked inside out of the rain together. Getting inside Roxie took a deep breath. It was time to work. She could only hope to not have any outdoor crime scenes tonight with the rain.

"Hey Rainbow." Nick said as he stopped walking. He pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss. "It's going to be fine and Sophia will be fine." Roxie simply nodded.

They continued inside hand in hand. Getting into the locker room Roxie removed her hood and took off her jacket. Her hair settled on her shoulders. She was pleased that her hair had grown back to shoulder length. She'd spent the prior afternoon at the salon getting it dyed. Her hair was now once again ombre with her natural dark brown on top that faded into a purple that then fades into a pastel blue at the tips, Rainbow Brite was back in action. Walking into the hall Roxie came face to face with Russell.

"Hey Roxie I was just coming to find you. I wanted to talk to you for a second in my office." Russell said.

"Yeah sure." Roxie answered.

"Nick you have a 419. Check with Morgan she has the details." Russell then said to Nick who closed his locker.

"Will do boss." Nick said. "See you later Rainbow." He then said to his wife who gave him a smile and a small wave.

Roxie followed Russell into his office. She sat in a chair in front of his desk while he sat behind the desk. Roxie looked around the office. It seems things hadn't changed at least here.

"So Roxie…" he started. "Instead of having you go straight back to working normal cases with everyone else I want you to work on a project for me, but only if you are up for it. We need to get this Good Girl Rapist behind bars. I think you are the best person to lead this up because you were one of his victims and in talking with other victims you can possibly get more information because you have a connection to this case. I know this isn't normal procedure, but I know you work well and you can kick ass on this."

"Yeah, yeah… I'm down for it. I want this bastard behind bars also." Roxie said.

"So if you need help everyone is at your disposal except Nick. I feel that even though you are personally affected by this case it is different than how he is affected. I don't want his emotions to get the best of him." Russell explained. Roxie couldn't agree more. She knew that this would get to him and she knew right now he was already going through something. Lately he'd been distracted and just different. She couldn't explain it, but she only hoped it would leave. She felt like it had something to do with Catherine leaving and she felt like once he got used to it then maybe things would go back to normal.

"I agree." Roxie replied.

"So how was the drop-off earlier? Barbara said the practice night went well." Russell said referring to Sophia being dropped off with his wife for the night.

"It went well. I miss Sophia so much." Roxie said sadly.

"Yeah it's hard to leave them when they are so tiny, but it's harder when they are older." Russell said. Roxie shrugged. "Well I will let you get to work. Any cases or anything you need. Go for it. Let's get this guy off the street."

"Thanks." Roxie said as she stood and left the office.

The night was going slow. Roxie was going over the cases she already knew including her own. She'd pulled all the boxes of evidence. She starred at the box that had her names on it. She just starred at the name JONES, ROXANNE written on the box. She couldn't believe it was all still here. It all still existed. It was like her memories from that night were all contained into a single box. Suddenly her cell phone rang and she jumped. She took it from her pocket and saw Nick's name. She smiled as she answered the call.

"Hey Babe." She said happily.

"Hey. Morgan and I just finished at our scene. We were going to grab something to eat. Do you want me to pick up something for you?" Nick asked.

"No. No I'm good." Roxie answered as her eyes went back to the box. She let out a sigh.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No not really. Just working." She said.

"Well I will let you get back to it. I love you." He said sweetly.

"I love you too." Roxie said before ending the call.

She put the phone back her in pocket and grabbed a pair of gloves. She put her on her gloves and took a razor. She cut the seal on the box and opened it. She looked inside. The first thing she saw was a paper bag. She took the bag from the box and opened it. She pulled out a t-shirt. It was ripped. It was her favorite shirt at the time. It was purple with the name of her favorite band of the time. She smiled at the shirt remembering when she bought it at a concert. She put the shirt back and pulled out a pair of pink panties. These got her. These were the panties she wore that night. There was a brown bloodstain on it. She remembered taking them off at the hospital and seeing the blood. She quickly returned them to the bag. It was like everything came back at once. She then wondered if she could even do this. Could to take this project on?

The night had taken a dramatic turn from where it had been for Nick. It started out easily enough with a routine call and a roadside dinner that turned into a mess. He and Morgan witnessed a kid crash his car and then they saved him from his car. He now sat in the hospital waiting on news about the kid. He'd actually be shot and they saved his life. The thing is he mentioned others. Could that be true? He didn't know what to think, but the night was growing into morning and he was tired. His cell phone then rang. He was happy to see it was a call from Roxie.

"My Rainbow." He said answering the call.

"My Country Boy." Roxie said sweetly. "What's up?"

"Waiting for this kid to get out of surgery." He answered.

"Yeah I heard about that." Roxie said.

"What are you up to?" Nick then asked.

"Working, but getting ready to head out to get Sophia." Roxie said.

"Working on what?" he asked.

"A special project. Russell asked me to work on something so for now I'm on this project." Roxie answered.

"Alright well I will see you at home I guess…" he trailed off.

"Yeah well I won't wait up. I'm sleepy. Hopefully Sophia lets me get a little sleep." Roxie said with a small laugh.

"Ok well… I love you." He said.

"I love you too." Roxie said. He ended the call and looked down at the screen. It was a photo of Roxie and Sophia he'd taken over the weekend. Sophia was already getting so big. He couldn't believe she was the same little baby that Roxie had given birth to. Being a dad made him proud and it gave him a purpose especially because lately he hadn't felt like he had much purpose.

Roxie walked into her front door with a sleeping Sophia in her arms. She went straight into Sophia's room and gently placed her in the crib before heading to her own room. She was too tired to change her clothes. She instantly got into bed and fell fast asleep. Her sleep was broken by cries. She opened her eyes knowing it was Sophia. She glanced at the clock seeing that she got just over an hour of sleep. Pulling herself out of bed she waked into Sophia's room and picked her up. She rocked Sophia all the way into the kitchen where she lazily made a bottle for her baby girl. She yawned as she walked to the couch and fed Sophia. It was so early, but she was so tired. She didn't know how she would keep this up. Working nights and then coming home to a baby wasn't going to be easy.

Roxie headed into working exhausted. She hadn't seen Nick in nearly 24 hours. She knew he was working a case. She shuffled into the break room to put her things away. She then walked the halls hoping to see Nick around. She hated when they had to go forever without seeing one another. She went into the garage hoping to find him only to find someone she didn't know. It was a blonde woman who was splashing paint everywhere. The woman stood and looked around. Roxie's eyes then met her.

"Umm hi… don't mind me." Roxie said.

"Didn't think anyone was around." The woman said. "Hi I'm Julie Finlay, but just call me Finn. I'm just helping out."

"I'm Roxie Stokes." Roxie said as she looked around.

"Stokes… are you related to Nick?" she asked. "I met him earlier. I mean not related related. Obviously you wouldn't be…ughh no…sorry."

Roxie simply laughed. "No I get the question it's alright. He's my husband."

"Ahh the cute one is married." Finn said.

"Everyone is always bummed when learning that." Roxie said.

"Well you won the lottery on that one." She said.

"I was actually looking for him and he obviously isn't here." Roxie said disappointed. "Well I better get going."

"Yeah see you around." Finn said.

Roxie walked through the lab in a last ditch effort to find her husband. She finally found him. She walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and gave her a huge smile. He instantly pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips.

"I missed you." He said.

"I missed you. Sophia missed you too." Roxie said sadly.

"Well once this case is done I'm off and we can spend some time together, all three of us." He said looking at her Roxie smiled, she liked the sound of that. "You look so tired." He then mentioned.

"Well I managed nearly two hours of sleep when I got home before Sophia woke up. Then I got an hour for her morning nap and 2 hours in her afternoon nap. So not much sleep had." Roxie explained with a yawn. "I bet you're tired too."

"Yeah, but I'll grab a nap at some point." He said.

"Hey Nick we got those results." Greg said as he came up the hall with Morgan.

"I better let you go. I need to get working also." Roxie said giving him a quick kiss and watching him disappear up the hall. She let out a sigh. She didn't want them to become strangers. She questioned if working was something she could continue doing when they had Sophia at home. She felt so guilty for leaving Sophia already, but she had guilt for not being totally present when home with Sophia.

The weeks seemed to pass and Roxie still wasn't shaking that feeling. She'd been working hard and going home exhausted and dealing with Sophia. She felt like she was only halfway there for Sophia. Tonight she'd made a decision. In the past week she'd gone back and forth on it. Many mornings she and Nick lied in bed and they discussed it. She loved that he was supportive of her decision. Though she still couldn't shake that she knew something was up with him. He wasn't talking about it and she didn't want to force him.

Roxie came into work and went straight to Russell's office. He was at his desk. He looked up to see Roxie standing there. She gave a weak smile as she walked into his office and sat down. Roxie let out a sigh. She didn't know where to start.

"What's on your mind Roxie?" Russell asked.

"I just can't do this. At least not right now. I've been thinking about it and I want to take a leave of absence. I don't want to quit, but I want to take a break." Roxie said.

"I felt this coming." Russell said. "And I understand. You've got the baby and that changes everything." Roxie nodded. She was so happy he understood.

"I've been working on my project with the help of both Sara and Finn. They promised me they would work on it when they could and when I'm back I will be back in it fully." Roxie said.

"That's fine with me. Enjoy your time home with Sophia. You guys will have to come over and visit with Barbara. She's going to miss keeping Sophia at nights." Russell said.

"We sure will." Roxie said happily as she stood. "Thanks for understanding." Roxie said as she left his office. She then walked towards the locker room. She saw Nick getting his things. "I did it."

"So I guess you're going home now?" he asked.

"Yep heading out. I'll see you in the morning." Roxie said as he pulled her close.

"Yeah." He answered before giving her a kiss. He let Roxie go and she gave him a smile before walking out. Roxie was going home. She was going to miss the lab, but it wasn't forever. Just for a while.


	19. Gone

A/N: This will be the final chapter in this story. It takes place during the Season 12 finale and season 13 premiere.

Love Is Your Color

Chapter 19: Gone

The last few months had been amazing for Roxie. She didn't feel like she had much stress except for the worries she had for Nick everyday. She'd spent her time raising Sophia who was getting bigger everyday. She loved being able to be present, aware, and awake during the day to be with Sophia. The only she hated was it seemed like Nick was throwing himself into work and wasn't as present, but she knew it was also very busy at the lab. There were some nights where she just wanted him to hold her, but she slept alone. She knew he had things on his mind. She could feel it, but he wouldn't open up, he wouldn't talk to her about it.

Finally he had a night off. Roxie had put Sophia down for the night and she was excited to spend the evening with her husband until his cell rang. She knew he was going to have to go in and like that he had to go. She woke up in the morning hoping he would have returned, but she was alone. She rolled to his side of the bed and held his pillow close to her. It was going to be another long and lonely day.

The day seemed to go quickly. She could only hope that Nick would be home for dinner and that they could have another chance at spending the evening together. Until then she thought it would be nice to go visit her other family. The Russell family had really become her new family. They'd taken her in and she was forever grateful. She knocked on their front door and Barbara opened all smiled.

"Roxie hey!" she said happily. "And baby Sophia." She said to Sophia who at 6 months old was all smiles.

"Hey I thought I'd come by. How was that election thing you went to last night?" Roxie asked as she walked into the house.

"It was very… political. Anyway D.B. had to leave for a crime scene." Barbara said rolling her eyes.

"Yeah Nick was home for once and had to leave." Roxie said her voice laced with disappointment.

"That's what happens when you marry into the job. Come in the kitchen. We're baking cookies." Barbara said. Roxie followed her into the kitchen. "Roxie you finally get to meet Maya and Katie." She said as she pointed out a young blonde and a little girl. Who were her daughter and granddaughter.

"It's so nice to meet my adopted sister." Maya said happily giving Roxie a hug. "Love your hair. I wish I had the guts to do something like that."

"Thanks." Roxie said. "And so great to meet you."

"Seriously my parents keep going on and on about Roxie and Baby Sophia." Maya said.

"It's a baby." Katie said happily.

"Yep that's baby Sophia." Maya said to Katie.

"Can I hold her?" Katie asked Roxie.

"Of course." Roxie said. Katie sat in a chair and put her arms out. Roxie put Sophia into Katie's arms.

"She's cute." Katie said happily. Sophia started to giggle.

"So both you and your husband are CSIs?" Maya asked.

"Yeah, but I'm on leave. I wanted to spend some time home with Sophia." Roxie said looking at her little girl who was having a great time playing with Katie. She thought about what it would be like to have another baby. She wanted to give Sophia a sibling. She grew up so lonely and it would have been nice to have someone else, but she did at least have her mom.

"Are things getting better?" Barbara asked Roxie. Roxie had told her about everything and how she was feeling.

"No." Roxie said with a sigh. "He is still shutting me out and won't talk about it. I can only hope he will open up before he gets to his breaking point. I think he forgets that he can depend on me the way I depend on him."

"It's a man thing." Maya said.

Roxie left the Russell house with a ton of food and cookies. She decided to stop by the lab. She wanted to see her husband and it had been awhile since she took Sophia by. She strolled into the lab with Sophia who was all babbles in her stroller. She saw Finn and gave her a wave before walking to her.

"The famous Roxie graces us with her presence." Finn said giving Roxie a hug.

"I was out and wanted to stop by. Also brought my husband a little something to eat." Roxie said holding up a bag with some food from Barbara.

"I see you have some of Barbara's peach cobbler in there." Finn said.

"Yep hoping to entice my husband to come eat it at home. I feel like I haven't seen him in forever." Roxie said truthfully.

"Well I saw him head to PD." Finn said.

"I'll head over there and see if I can find him." Roxie said. "I'll catch up with you later." Roxie walked towards PD. The air outside was nice. She looked down at Sophia who smiled up at her. She knew that Sophia would be very happy to see Nick. She was a 100 percent Daddy's Girl. As Roxie approached the building she saw the front doors fly open and Nick walked outside. He looked upset. He looked like he wanted to punch something or someone.

This was just not the day. Nick was aggravated beyond anything. His heart was beating and his blood was pumping red-hot. He knew going in there that things could get heated facing McKeen, but the things he said about killing Warrick just set him off. Walking outside he could only hope that he could cool down. Then his eyes met another set of eyes outside. He saw Roxie slowly walking towards him. He didn't want to feel like this and see her. He needed to cool down.

"What's wrong?" Roxie instantly asked as she approached him. She placed a hand on his arm. He quickly moved away.

"That…that piece of shit is in there talking about how… how killing Warrick made him a hero." Nick spouted off.

"What? McKeen… what is he doing here?" Roxie asked. She knew everything. She's just started working for LVPD when Warrick was killed by the then Undersheriff.

"Long story." Nick said sitting down on the bench. Roxie sat with him.

"We just came by to see you, but it's a bad time." Roxie said looking down at the ground. It seems like it was always a bad time. She'd missed the days of their careless romance. Now everything seemed to complicated and with the feelings he was harboring inside she felt useless as a wife. "I brought you some food."

"I'm not hungry." Nick snapped at once.

"You might be later." Roxie said as she handed him the bag. "I guess we'll go home." Roxie wanted to cry. She hated that he wasn't letting her in. She knew things never felt right to him after Catherine left, but he wouldn't go in any further. He just like everything else let it roll off.

"I'm sorry Rox." He said looking at her. "I've been dealing with a lot. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's fine. I understand. Just try and come home. You can get some rest. We can share the peach cobbler when I put Sophia to bed." Roxie said looking at him with pleading in her eyes.

"I can't. We've got a stakeout, but I will come home as soon as I can." He said as he placed a hand on her cheek. "I promise Rainbow." Sophia then started making gurgling noises. Nick smiled down at his daughter who was so content and didn't have a care in the world. He wished he could be like her.

"Well I will see you later then." Roxie said before leaning in and giving him a kiss. "I love you." She said truthfully.

"I love you too." He said holding her hand in his. "I'm coming home later. I promise." Roxie simply smiled. She could only hope.

Sitting at home Roxie had put Sophia down for her nap. The evening had winded down like always. She sat on the couch in her pajamas eating some of the cookies she'd brought home from the Russell's earlier that day. She took a deep breath as she starred at the clock. She only hoped that Nick would be home at a reasonable hour. She sighed and turned on the TV. There was a press conference going on from the Sheriff. She turned up the sound and watched. It was all about an investigation into more corruption and scandals in the police department. Roxie was grateful that for once she wasn't working. She turned off the TV and looked at the clock again. She pulled a book off of the shelf and decided it would be nice to read for a bit until her cell phone rang. She saw it was Sara.

"Hello." Roxie answered.

"Hey Roxie it's Sara. You might be dealing with a very unhappy husband soon. Just warning you. He left here talking about quitting. I'm not sure what's up, but he seemed serious." Sara explained. Roxie sighed.

"Alright thanks Sara. I'll be waiting for him." Roxie said. She knew his breaking point would be coming soon and it seemed like he'd hit it.

"Well I better go. Getting another call." Sara said before the call abruptly ended.

Roxie sat on the couch looking out of the front window. She just waited for Nick to pull into the driveway. She really wasn't hoping on dealing with an agitated husband tonight, but that's what she was going to be dealt. She sat waiting and waiting. She then drifted to sleep on the couch.

One beer, turned into two, and two into three… Nick had decided he would have one and go home to Roxie like he'd promised her, but after two he knew he wasn't going to drive home and kept going. He'd hit that point. He hadn't expected to hit it, but he had. Things had changed so much and the prospect of more changes just sent him over. He wasn't dealing with it. He was officially done. As he stood drinking he thought about the job offered he'd received while he and Roxie were in Hawaii from the San Diego lab. He wondered if the opportunity would still be open. Now seemed like the right time to go. He was done with Vegas and a move seemed like the right thing. He didn't know what Roxie would think about it. She'd made a new family with the Russell family. He couldn't tear Roxie away from that. His cell phone rang. He expected it to be Roxie, but it was Sara again. He ignored her call and kept drinking. Tonight he wanted to drown his sorrows.

Roxie awoke to her cell phone ringing. She opened her eyes and looked at the clock. It was nearly 2am. She couldn't think of who would be calling her at 2 in the morning. She sighed and pulled her cell phone to her face trying to make out what the screen said through her drowsiness. She sat it was Sara calling her again. Roxie answered the call with a yawn.

"Hi Sara." She said drowsily.

"Hey Roxie. I know it's late, but we have a situation. Nick got himself into some trouble. You might want to come down here." Sara said.

"Come down where?" Roxie questioned as she sat up.

"Down to PD. Nick got into a drunken fight with some cops. I'm headed over there. We are crazy slammed tonight. McKeen released hell on us. Ecklie was shot and Russell's granddaughter was kidnapped." Sara explained.

"Wait Katie kidnapped?" questioned Roxie.

"Yeah umm… when you come Nick might need a change of clothes." Sara said.

"Umm okay… I'll head there now." Roxie said as she sat up and ended the call. Rushing into her bedroom she put on clothes and grabbed Nick some clothes from his drawer. She then realized that she couldn't wake Sophia and take her down to the Police Station and the one person she first thought of wasn't going to be able to keep her because she was dealing with her own drama. Roxie then remembered their emergency sitter. Their neighbor across the street. She quickly called their neighbor.

Roxie walked into PD tired, but there. Their neighbor had come over to stay with Sophia while Roxie went to find out what was up with Nick. She spotted Sara in the hall. Sara saw Roxie and walked to her.

"I just talked to him. He's a mess, but I told him tonight we need him and when he sobers up he is working." Sara said.

"Can I see him?" Roxie asked.

"Yeah this way." Sara said. Roxie followed Sara and there Nick was in a cell. The cell was opened for Roxie. She caught a glimpse at his face. He was bruised and bloodied.

"That fuck did you do?" Roxie asked him at once.

"I was having a drink." Nick slurred.

"I already know that things went down. I know you apparently quit or whatever. I don't know what has been up with you lately, but it's not cool I'm your wife. You should have come home and talked to me. Hell you should have been talking to me for months, but you've just been shutting me out. You can depend on me you know." Roxie was enraged. She hated to see him this way, but it was his own fault. He knew better.

"Whatever." Nick slurred.

"You're still drunk. This isn't you. I know this isn't you." Roxie said as she threw his change of clothes at him. "Sara said once you are good you are working. I'm going home. Mrs. Tanner is with Sophia. You can come home when you figure out what the fuck you want. Until then I'm going to be a mother and I'm going home to my daughter." Roxie left him alone. Roxie was incredibly upset. She hated that it'd come to this. She hated that he'd shut her out for so long .

Roxie pulled up to their house. She noticed that both the front gate and front door were open. This wasn't normal at all. She quickly rushed into the house. She at once saw Mrs. Tanner on the floor with what looked to be a gunshot wound to the head. Roxie rushed to the table near the front door and pulled out a gun. She slowly made her way up the hall. She looked into Sophia's room. It was dark, but she realized right away that Sophia wasn't there. Her heart began to be quickly. She rushed into her own room and there was no Sophia. This couldn't be happening. She hadn't have been gone long.

The house was swarming with police and CSI's from day shift since night shift was severely understaffed tonight. Roxie sat on the front porch rocking back and forth. She didn't know what to do or what to think. She felt like she'd lost her ability to think critically. She was a complete mess. Her baby girl was gone. A car pulled up and Nick jumped out he quickly ran to Roxie. He was back in the lab when Sara came to him about Sophia. He sat next to Roxie and pulled her close Roxie instantly pulled away.

"Leave me alone." She growled at him.

"Rainbow…" he said. Roxie looked at him with rage in her eyes. He knew that this was his fault.

"This is all your fault. My daughter wouldn't be gone if you'd just come home. If you'd just been a man." Roxie said as she stood. She walked away and across the yard. Her head hurt with a mix of questions and anger.

"I'm sorry. I screwed up." Nick said approaching Roxie.

"Just find my baby." She said. "That's all I want. I want my baby." Roxie started to cry. Something she'd already done plenty of times in the last hour. Nick pulled her close and let her cry. He felt so guilty. He knew it was a fact that if he'd come home then Sophia wouldn't have been taken. Instead he made stupid decisions based on anger and emotions.

"Alright a routine traffic stop was done off the strip and the officer said the baby in the car looked a lot like Sophia." Brass said as he came out of the house.

"They found her?" Roxie then asked.

"Well the cop issued a warning and let the driver go, but we have information. The car belongs to a Lisa Richards of Henderson. We've got an address." Brass then said.

"Let's go!" Roxie said at once.

"Rox maybe you should stay here." Nick suggested.

"I'm going." Roxie said at once.

They pulled up to a house. It was all-dark. Roxie could only hope that Sophia was here. She could only hope that her baby was safe. Nick looked over to Roxie. He knew she was still angry with him. She hadn't looked at him the entire ride. Every time he tried to touch her she would pull away. His heart broke every single time. He knew it was his fault. He knew he screwed up. He could only hope that once Sophia was found that Roxie would forgive him. He only hoped that they could move on after this as a family, but all it was…was hope. There were no guarantees.

"Alright we will let officers surround the house and take it from there." Brass said over the radio.

"Roxie." Nick said looking at Roxie who continued to look forward. "I know I screwed up. I know I shut you out. I just didn't know how to come to you about what I've been feeling. I didn't want to worry you with my problems." Roxie looked at him. She shook her head.

"I'm your wife. It's ok to bother me with your problems. It's kind of the point." She said to him before looking forward again. Roxie felt so much resentment towards him in the moment. She felt a single tear fall down her face. She quickly wiped it away.

"Alright the house is surrounded and they will go in first. Then we go." Brass said over the radio.

Roxie held her breath. She only hoped this would be the end of this torment. She looked as the officers stormed in the house. They then got out of the car and rushed towards the house. Through all the noise Roxie heard a cry. It was Sophia's cry. Roxie didn't care about anything. She rushed right in and followed the sound of the cries. She then found Sophia lying on a bed. She quickly scooped Sophia into her arms. She cried as she held her baby. She walked from the house with her baby in hear arms. Nick pulled both of them close. Roxie pulled away and looked at him.

"I can't." Roxie said plainly. "I need time. I need space. I just need to be with my baby." She said as she walked towards the ambulance that had arrived to take Sophia to the hospital for a quick check-up.

Nick walked into the hospital. He wanted to see his wife and daughter. He could only hope that Roxie would be more welcoming. He found her and Sophia sitting on a hospital bed. Sophia had a smile on her face as she played with Roxie. He stood at the door and watched them. He was so happy that things ended well. Roxie looked up at him. The smile she had faded.

"Sophia and I are going away for a little bit." Roxie said.

"Rainbow. I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can do." He said as he walked in the room and sat on the edge of the bed Sophia crawled into his arms.

"We just need to go away. Please don't fight me on this. I need to reevaluate everything. I need time to think. Please just let us go." Roxie said truthfully. Nick let out a sigh as he held his baby girl in his arms. He watched as Roxie removed her wedding ring.

"Roxie don't." he said at once. Roxie just looked at him and didn't say a word. She took off her necklace, the key necklace he'd given her. She slipped the ring into the chain and put the necklace back on.

"I'm keeping it close." She said to him. "I just need time."

"I'll give you time." He said defeated. He handed Sophia back to her. Roxie stood with Sophia in her arms. He watched as Roxie walked out of the room without another word and like that they were gone.

A/N: I know you all hate me for that one. I'm going to work on the sequel. I'm titling it 'Dreaming in Color'.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Taking my daughter to a Halloween festival tonight. She is dressed as a ladybug. I'll post a pic on the facebook page… If you haven't already like the page Facebook /TheMoonyAngel7


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